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.
She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.” “Couldn’t? What on earth could stop me?” “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.” “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 65/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 321–325
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.
in the past
From this reading ““Oh, she’s in bed long ago.””
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.””
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading ““Oh, she’s in bed long ago.””
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “What on earth could stop me?””
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading ““I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.””
by chance
From this reading “She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.””
in a serious manner
From this reading “She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.””
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “What on earth could stop me?””
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.
in the past
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What on earth could stop me?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading What on earth could stop me?”
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
by chance
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading What on earth could stop me?”
in a serious manner
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, she’s in bed long ago.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading What on earth could stop me?”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What on earth could stop me?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She answered seriously: “I thought maybe you couldn’t come back for me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I knew Zeena wasn’t feeling any too good to-day.”
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.
