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.
She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation. “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to! Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too! The cry was balm to his raw wound. The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 77/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 381–385
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.
any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
From this reading “The cry was balm to his raw wound.”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.”
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading “She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.”
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
From this reading “The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.”
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading “The cry was balm to his raw wound.”
the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth
From this reading “The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.”
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “The cry was balm to his raw wound.”
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 She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth
From this reading The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness.
express in words
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
except if; if not
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She turned on him with a sudden flash of indignation.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading The cry was balm to his raw wound.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Unless _you_ want me to go too—” Unless he wanted her to go too!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’d ought to tell me, Ethan Frome—you’d ought to!
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.
