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.
His hands hung at his sides. They didn't swing as he walked. His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile. He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward. Then he came on and entered the house.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 64/151 · 5 reading units · Lines 316–320
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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.”
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading “He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.”
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading “He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.”
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “His hands hung at his sides.”
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading “His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.”
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “They didn't swing as he walked.”
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 He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His hands hung at his sides.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His hands hung at his sides.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His hands hung at his sides.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading His hands hung at his sides.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
a particular point in time
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading His hands hung at his sides.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
successive (without a break)
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He paused by the fountain, glancing for a moment anxiously downward.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he came on and entered the house.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They didn't swing as he walked.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His lips were stretched in that thin, straight smile.
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.
