Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 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 — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it. Well, maybe I'll find out to-night. Hello!" The door opened. Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 133/151 · 5 reading units · Lines 661–665
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.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!"”
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
by chance
From this reading “Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading “Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.”
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 Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door opened.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
an expression of greeting
From this reading Hello!"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
by chance
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The door opened.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
a special situation
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, maybe I'll find out to-night.
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading Bobby from his hiding place could see Paredes on the threshold, yawning and holding a cigarette in his fingers.
but in spite of that
From this reading The thing seems impossible, and yet here we are, knowing that he did it.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp holds 757 sentences, grouped into 152 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 757 sentences of The Abandoned Room, unabridged, divided into 152 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 757 sentences, grouped into 152 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 152 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 152 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 6703 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 558 minutes of reading across 1341 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 9 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.
