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.
“Denis Eady! If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.” “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately. He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste. “All right.
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 54/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 266–270
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.
clothing in general
From this reading “He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.”
showing lack of skill or aptitude
From this reading “He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.””
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading “He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.””
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.””
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading ““Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
clothing in general
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Denis Eady!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Denis Eady!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
showing lack of skill or aptitude
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
a young female
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
not any; not one
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
in a stubborn unregenerate manner
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “All right.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If that’s all, I guess there’s no such hurry to look round for a girl.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was getting into his clothes in fumbling haste.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it,” said Zeena obstinately.
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.
