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.
Ten to one you're a formality, policeman. Coroner's a formality." He sneered a little. "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death. Wonder what the coroner'll say."
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 52/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 256–260
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.
possessive form of “coroner” — a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to natural causes
From this reading “Coroner's a formality."”
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “"I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.”
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading “Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “"I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.”
past form of “sneer” — express through a scornful smile
From this reading “He sneered a little.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “Wonder what the coroner'll say."”
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 Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wonder what the coroner'll say."
possessive form of “coroner” — a public official who investigates by inquest any death not due to natural causes
From this reading Coroner's a formality."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sneered a little.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He sneered a little.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
a member of a police force
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
express in words
From this reading Wonder what the coroner'll say."
past form of “sneer” — express through a scornful smile
From this reading He sneered a little.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading Wonder what the coroner'll say."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I daresay he died what the hard-headed world will call a natural death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ten to one you're a formality, policeman.
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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Abandoned Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
