Chapter 1 of One of Ours is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of One of Ours is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed. "Ralph, Ralph, get awake! Come down and help me wash the car." "What for?" "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
Chapter 1 of One of Ours is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “"Ralph, Ralph, get awake!”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “Come down and help me wash the car."”
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “"Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"”
the present time or age
From this reading “"Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"”
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading “Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “Come down and help me wash the car."”
Scottish archaeologist (1890-1976)
From this reading “Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading “Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading "Ralph, Ralph, get awake!
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
opinion or judgment
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What for?"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Ralph, Ralph, get awake!
the act of departing
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ralph, Ralph, get awake!
Identical; not different.
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
the present time or age
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
clean with some chemical process
From this reading Come down and help me wash the car."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What for?"
Scottish archaeologist (1890-1976)
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
which person or people
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, aren't we going to the circus today?"
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun was up and vigorously shook his younger brother, who lay in the other half of the same bed.
Chapter 1 of One of Ours by Willa Cather holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 205 sentences of One of Ours, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of One of Ours by Willa Cather exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 One of Ours by Willa Cather on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8134 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2369 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2369, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1627 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through One of Ours section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of One of Ours 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 One of Ours, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
