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.
She tried to call across the court. At first no response came from her tight throat. When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking. "Uncle!" The wind mocked her.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 31/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 151–155
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.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.”
past form of “mock” — treat with contempt
From this reading “The wind mocked her.”
a result
From this reading “At first no response came from her tight throat.”
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading “When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.”
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading “At first no response came from her tight throat.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “At first no response came from her tight throat.”
not known or well known
From this reading “When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.”
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 When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
immediately past
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
past form of “mock” — treat with contempt
From this reading The wind mocked her.
not any; not one
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
a result
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
a special situation
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading At first no response came from her tight throat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading She tried to call across the court.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Uncle!"
not known or well known
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
at the time that
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
which person or people
From this reading When it did at last, her voice was unfamiliar in her own ears, the voice of one who has to know a thing but shrinks from asking.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind mocked her.
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.
