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The Enormous Room
The Enormous Room

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Enormous Room is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Enormous Room
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.
He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.
He was entombed by the French Government.
It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to lifewith the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.
The following documents tell the story:
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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 Enormous Room

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Enormous Room is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.
Line 2
He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.
/hiː wɑːz əˈfɪʃəli ded æz ə rɪˈzʌlt ʌv əˈfɪʃəl ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/
Line 3
He was entombed by the French Government.
/hiː wɑːz enˈtuːmd baɪ ðə frentʃ ˈɡʌvərmənt/
Line 4
It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to lifewith the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.
Line 5
The following documents tell the story:
/ðə ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ ˈdɑːkjəmənts tel ðə ˈstɔːri/

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.

Ambulance noun US /ˈæmbjələns/

a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals

From this reading “He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.”

Atlantic noun US /ətˈlæntɪk/

the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east

From this reading “It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Corps noun US /kɔːr/

an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support

From this reading “He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.”

documents noun US /ˈdɑːkjəmənts/

plural of “document” — writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading “The following documents tell the story:”

entombed verb US /enˈtuːmd/

past form of “entomb” — place in a grave or tomb

From this reading “He was entombed by the French Government.”

misinformation noun US /ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

information that is incorrect

From this reading “He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.”

official adjective US /əˈfɪʃəl/

having official authority or sanction

From this reading “He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.”

officially adverb US /əˈfɪʃəli/

in an official role

From this reading “He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.”

All words in this reading · 45

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 He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

AmbulancenounUS /ˈæmbjələns/

a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

AtlanticnounUS /ətˈlæntɪk/

the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

CorpsnounUS /kɔːr/

an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

documentsnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəmənts/

plural of “document” — writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading The following documents tell the story:

entombedverbUS /enˈtuːmd/

past form of “entomb” — place in a grave or tomb

From this reading He was entombed by the French Government.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading The following documents tell the story:

FrenchnounUS /frentʃ/

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading He was entombed by the French Government.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

GovernmentnounUS /ˈɡʌvərmənt/

the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

From this reading He was entombed by the French Government.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

misinformationnounUS /ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

information that is incorrect

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

Norton-Harjes

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

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

officialadjectiveUS /əˈfɪʃəl/

having official authority or sanction

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

officiallyadverbUS /əˈfɪʃəli/

in an official role

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

powerfuladjectiveUS /ˈpaʊərfəl/

having great power or force or potency or effect

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading He was officially dead as a result of official misinformation.

sidesnounUS /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading The following documents tell the story:

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading The following documents tell the story:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was lost by the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps.

willingadjectiveUS /ˈwɪlɪŋ/

disposed or inclined toward

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It took the better part of three months to find him and bring him back to life—with the help of powerful and willing friends on both sides of the Atlantic.

Chapter 1 of The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Enormous Room contain?

Chapter 1 holds 414 sentences of The Enormous Room, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Enormous Room?

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.

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 Enormous Room

Common questions about reading The Enormous Room by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Enormous Room?

Yes. All 4707 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Enormous Room is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8446, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Enormous Room take to read?

About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Enormous Room section by section

How to work through The Enormous Room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Enormous Room to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Enormous Room

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

Norton-harjes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ambulance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Officially
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Enormous Room; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.