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.
He didn't want to wait around. He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand. His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously. His quick apprehension vanished. He couldn't recall that surprised face.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 140/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 696–700
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.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading “His quick apprehension vanished.”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading “He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.”
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading “His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.”
offensive inquisitiveness
From this reading “His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.”
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “He couldn't recall that surprised face.”
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading “His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.”
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 His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading His quick apprehension vanished.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't recall that surprised face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He couldn't recall that surprised face.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
in an incredulous manner
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
and nothing more
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
offensive inquisitiveness
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading His quick apprehension vanished.
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading He couldn't recall that surprised face.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He didn't want to risk Katherine's driving in on some errand.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading He couldn't recall that surprised face.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He couldn't recall that surprised face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
having passed out of existence
From this reading His quick apprehension vanished.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading He didn't want to wait around.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
which person or people
From this reading His mind, intent only on escaping prying eyes, was drawn by a man who stepped from behind a carriage and started across the roadway in his direction, staring at him incredulously.
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.
