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.
I never drink them." She smiled dreamily at Bobby. "But see! I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk." She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
Chapter 1 of The Abandoned Room is here in full — 775 sentences across 155 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 91/155 · 5 reading units · Lines 451–455
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.
alcoholic beverage taken before a meal as an appetizer
From this reading “I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."”
-ing form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.”
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading “She smiled dreamily at Bobby.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."”
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading “She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.”
possessive form of “graham” — United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading “She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.”
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
alcoholic beverage taken before a meal as an appetizer
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She smiled dreamily at Bobby.
-ing form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
an informal term for a British policeman
From this reading She smiled dreamily at Bobby.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But see!
emanating from God
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
in a dreamy manner
From this reading She smiled dreamily at Bobby.
take in liquids
From this reading I never drink them."
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
at any time
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
opinion or judgment
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
possessive form of “graham” — United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never drink them."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
engage in
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
by chance
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
used to form the superlative
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never drink them."
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "But see!
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She smiled dreamily at Bobby.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She smiled dreamily at Bobby.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
express in words
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I never drink them."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
showing curiosity
From this reading She passed the glass to him, and Bobby, avoiding Graham's eyes, wondering why she was so gracious, emptied it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I shall place this to my lips in order that you may make pretty speeches, and maybe tell me it is the most divine aperitif you have ever drunk."
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.
