Chapter 1 of Starved Rock is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Starved Rock is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc. Set up and electrotyped. Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
Chapter 1 of Starved Rock is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
a collection of selected literary passages
From this reading “Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.”
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading “OF CANADA, LTD.”
growing or occurring in many parts of the world
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading “Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.”
a new appraisal or evaluation
plural of “satire” — witty language used to convey insults or scorn
From this reading “Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.”
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading “Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.”
a university in Connecticut
From this reading “Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
set up or found
In this reading “Set up and electrotyped.”
In this reading “Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
a collection of selected literary passages
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
growing or occurring in many parts of the world
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
literature in metrical form
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
a new appraisal or evaluation
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
plural of “satire” — witty language used to convey insults or scorn
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
in the direction of
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Author of "Spoon River Anthology," "Songs and Satires," "The Great Valley," "Toward the Gulf," etc.
a university in Connecticut
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Published, October, 1919 Certain of these poems first appeared in _Reedy's Mirror_, _Poetry_, _The Cosmopolitan_, _The Yale Review_ and _The New York Sun_.
Chapter 1 of Starved Rock by Edgar Lee Masters holds 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 459 sentences of Starved Rock, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Starved Rock by Edgar Lee Masters exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Starved Rock by Edgar Lee Masters on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1360 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Starved Rock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Starved Rock 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 Starved Rock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
