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The Shadow over Innsmouth
The Shadow over Innsmouth

Chapter I · Act 01: The Discourse of The Shadow over Innsmouth — The Origin & The Dilemma

Chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Shadow over Innsmouth
Context Illustration Reading 45/71 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.
Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.
Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.
"Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!
Heh, heh!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Shadow over Innsmouth

Chapter I · Act 01: The Discourse of The Shadow over Innsmouth — The Origin & The Dilemma

Chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 45/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 221–225

Line 1
"Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.
Line 2
Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.
Line 3
Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.
Line 4
"Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!
Line 5
Heh, heh!

Learner Dictionary

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.

cursed adjective US /kɜːrst/

deserving a curse; sometimes used as an intensifier

From this reading “"Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.”

kin noun US /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading “Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.”

limb noun US /lɪm/

one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

From this reading “"Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!”

Satan noun US /ˈseɪtən/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading “"Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!”

sheer adjective US /ʃɪr/

complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers

From this reading “Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.”

starts noun US /stɑːrts/

plural of “start” — the beginning of anything

From this reading “"Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.”

tech noun US /tek/

a school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences

From this reading “Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.”

wickedness noun US /ˈwɪkədnəs/

morally objectionable behavior

From this reading “"Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

aout

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

bottomnounUS /ˈbɑːtəm/

the lower side of anything

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

Cap'n

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

cursedadjectiveUS /kɜːrst/

deserving a curse; sometimes used as an intensifier

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

daown

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

dropverbUS /drɑːp/

let fall to the ground

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

faound

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

fer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

GatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

Heh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Heh, heh!

hellnounUS /hel/

any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

islandsnounUS /ˈaɪləndz/

plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

kinnounUS /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

limbnounUS /lɪm/

one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

more'n

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

NeveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

nobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

onounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

Obed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

Ol

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

saoundin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

Saouth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

SatannounUS /ˈseɪtən/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading "Never was nobody like Cap'n Obed--old limb o' Satan!

SeanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/

complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

startsnounUS /stɑːrts/

plural of “start” — the beginning of anything

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

technounUS /tek/

a school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

Thar's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Gate o' hell--sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundin'-line kin tech.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Ol' Cap'n Obed done it--him that faound aout more'n was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

whar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

wickednessnounUS /ˈwɪkədnəs/

morally objectionable behavior

From this reading "Thar's whar it all begun--that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts.

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the central philosophical inquiry and narrative progression in 'Act 01: The Discourse of The Shadow over Innsmouth — The Origin & The Dilemma'?

How does the prose style reflect classical academic excellence?

What primary language acquisition value does this text offer advanced English scholars?

Chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft holds 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth contain?

Chapter 1 holds 355 sentences of The Shadow over Innsmouth, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Shadow over Innsmouth?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Shadow over Innsmouth

Common questions about reading The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Shadow over Innsmouth?

Yes. All 729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Shadow over Innsmouth is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Shadow over Innsmouth take to read?

About 60 minutes of reading across 146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Shadow over Innsmouth section by section

How to work through The Shadow over Innsmouth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Shadow over Innsmouth to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Shadow over Innsmouth

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shadow over Innsmouth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Unspeakable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow over Innsmouth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Monstrousness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow over Innsmouth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Over-hung
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow over Innsmouth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crumbling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow over Innsmouth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.