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The Abandoned Room
The Abandoned Room

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Abandoned Room
Context Illustration Reading 76/155 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Pleasure demands it."
His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.
It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.
Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.
"Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Abandoned Room

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 76/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 376–380

Line 1
Pleasure demands it."
/ˈpleʒər dɪˈmændz ɪt/
Line 2
His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.
Line 3
It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.
/ɪt siːmd ˈnevər tuː kɔːl ɑːn ɪts ˈɑːbviəs ˈpaʊərz ʌv ɪkˈspreʃən/
Line 4
Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.
/ɪts əkˈsent wɑːz ˈnoʊtəsəbəl ˈoʊnli ɪn ə ˈplezənt ˈpɑːlɪʃt sens/
Line 5
"Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."
/ˈhɑːrtli ˈbɑːbi ɪkˈspleɪnd ɪz ˈdaɪnɪŋ wɪð ʌs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

accent noun US /əkˈsent/

distinctive manner of oral expression

From this reading “Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.”

Bobby noun US /ˈbɑːbi/

an informal term for a British policeman

From this reading “His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.”

demands noun US /dɪˈmændz/

plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading “Pleasure demands it."”

dining noun US /ˈdaɪnɪŋ/

the act of eating dinner

From this reading “"Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."”

Hartley noun US /ˈhɑːrtli/

English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)

From this reading “"Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."”

noticeable adjective US /ˈnoʊtəsəbəl/

capable or worthy of being noticed

From this reading “Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.”

polished adjective US /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/

perfected or made shiny and smooth

From this reading “Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.”

reserved adjective US /rɪˈzɜːrvd/

set aside for the use of a particular person or party

From this reading “His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.”

All words in this reading · 43

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

accentnounUS /əkˈsent/

distinctive manner of oral expression

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

BobbynounUS /ˈbɑːbi/

an informal term for a British policeman

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

demandsnounUS /dɪˈmændz/

plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading Pleasure demands it."

diningnounUS /ˈdaɪnɪŋ/

the act of eating dinner

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

explainedverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪnd/

past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

expressionnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃən/

the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

HartleynounUS /ˈhɑːrtli/

English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Pleasure demands it."

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

noticeableadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəsəbəl/

capable or worthy of being noticed

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/

easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

Paredes's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

pleasantadjectiveUS /ˈplezənt/

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

PleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading Pleasure demands it."

polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/

perfected or made shiny and smooth

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

powersnounUS /ˈpaʊərz/

plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

remarkedverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

reservedadjectiveUS /rɪˈzɜːrvd/

set aside for the use of a particular person or party

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading Its accent was noticeable only in a pleasant, polished sense.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It seemed never to call on its obvious powers of expression.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading His voice was deep and pleasant, but Bobby had often remarked that it, like Paredes's eyes, was too reserved.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Hartley," Bobby explained, "is dining with us."

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.

What does chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Abandoned Room

Common questions about reading The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth Camp on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Abandoned Room?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Abandoned Room is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Abandoned Room

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Abandoned Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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