Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I stared at the suggestion. “Ethan Frome? But I’ve never even spoken to him. Why on earth should he put himself out for me?” Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 16/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 76–80
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
react verbally
From this reading “Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “Why on earth should he put himself out for me?””
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Why on earth should he put himself out for me?””
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “But I’ve never even spoken to him.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “I stared at the suggestion.”
not in physical motion
From this reading “Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.”
an idea that is suggested
From this reading “I stared at the suggestion.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
react verbally
From this reading Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I stared at the suggestion.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ethan Frome?
divisible by two
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ethan Frome?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I stared at the suggestion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I stared at the suggestion.
not in physical motion
From this reading Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
an idea that is suggested
From this reading I stared at the suggestion.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Harmon’s answer surprised me still more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I stared at the suggestion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I’ve never even spoken to him.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why on earth should he put himself out for me?”
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 441 sentences of Ethan Frome, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1758 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ethan Frome section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Ethan Frome to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Ethan Frome, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
