Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience. He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd. "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand. Always do that. It is the only safe way."
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 120/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 596–600
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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.”
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.”
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading “A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “It is the only safe way."”
a particular situation
From this reading “"Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.”
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 A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
anew
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Always do that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
for the reason that
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Always do that.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is the only safe way."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
and nothing more
From this reading It is the only safe way."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading It is the only safe way."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
a particular situation
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
carry out
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Always do that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It is the only safe way."
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading A long time afterward he heard a whisper again, and he wondered if it was the wind or his conscience.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He laughed through the blackness because the words seemed so absurd.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Take off your shoes and carry them in your hand.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp holds 775 sentences, grouped into 155 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 775 sentences of The Abandoned Room, unabridged, divided into 155 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 775 sentences, grouped into 155 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 155 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 155 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 The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Abandoned Room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Abandoned Room 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 The Abandoned Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
