Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?” “Why, where _were_ you? How did you know? I never saw you!” Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 67/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 331–335
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.
the sound of laughing
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading ““If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?””
cut with a saw
From this reading “I never saw you!””
the season of growth
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.”
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 Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading How did you know?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How did you know?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How did you know?
the sound of laughing
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never saw you!”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
cut with a saw
From this reading I never saw you!”
the season of growth
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Why, where _were_ you?
in or at the place that
From this reading “Why, where _were_ you?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If you thought I hadn’t come, why didn’t you ride back with Denis Eady?”
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.
