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.
It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in. He started back when he saw her. "My God, Miss Katherine! What's the matter? You look like death."
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 41/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 201–205
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.
black-and-white North American wood warbler having an orange-and-black head and throat
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “He started back when he saw her.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He started back when he saw her.
black-and-white North American wood warbler having an orange-and-black head and throat
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading You look like death."
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "My God, Miss Katherine!
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He started back when he saw her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My God, Miss Katherine!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You look like death."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading You look like death."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading What's the matter?
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "My God, Miss Katherine!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My God, Miss Katherine!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
cut with a saw
From this reading He started back when he saw her.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He started back when he saw her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading It seemed impossible to her that she should wait another instant alone-- The butler, as old and as gray as Silas Blackburn, faltered in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's the matter?
at the time that
From this reading He started back when he saw her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You look like death."
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.
