Chapter 1 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment. "How do you do, Judge?" I exclaimed. "No, but I expect him any second now. Won't you sit down?"
Chapter 1 of The Ear in the Wall is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
the quantity contained in a carton
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
come together
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.”
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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
the quantity contained in a carton
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you do, Judge?"
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Won't you sit down?"
come together
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading I exclaimed.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you do, Judge?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "How do you do, Judge?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "No, but I expect him any second now.
be seated
From this reading Won't you sit down?"
having a relatively square jaw
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I glanced up from the evening papers to encounter the square-jawed, alert face of District Attorney Carton in the doorway of our apartment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won't you sit down?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How do you do, Judge?"
Chapter 1 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 413 sentences of The Ear in the Wall, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Ear in the Wall by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5150 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5150, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ear in the Wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Ear in the Wall 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 Ear in the Wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
