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.
“Oh, _would_ you, Ethan? It would be lovely!” “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.” She lingered, pressing closer to his side. “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 70/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 346–350
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 lower side of anything
From this reading ““Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “She lingered, pressing closer to his side.”
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading ““Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.”
a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776)
From this reading ““Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.”
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading “She lingered, pressing closer to his side.”
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading “It would be lovely!””
the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure
From this reading “She lingered, pressing closer to his side.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading ““Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.”
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 “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be lovely!”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
the lower side of anything
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, _would_ you, Ethan?
a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776)
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be lovely!”
and nothing more
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading It would be lovely!”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, _would_ you, Ethan?
the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as _near_ running into the big elm at the bottom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ll come to-morrow if there’s a moon.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Oh, _would_ you, Ethan?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, _would_ you, Ethan?
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.
