Chapter 1 of The First Man is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The First Man is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall. CURTIS' study--morning of the following day. The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year. Same as Act I--three days later. SCENE--Living-room of CURTIS JAYSON'S house in Bridgetown, Conn.
Chapter 1 of The First Man is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.”
capital of Barbados; a port city on the southwestern coast of Barbados
From this reading “Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.”
conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane
From this reading “Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.”
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading “Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.”
according to the clock
From this reading “The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading “SCENE--Living-room of CURTIS JAYSON'S house in Bridgetown, Conn.”
the season of growth
From this reading “The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “CURTIS' study--morning of the following day.”
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 The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Same as Act I--three days later.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Same as Act I--three days later.
capital of Barbados; a port city on the southwestern coast of Barbados
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading CURTIS' study--morning of the following day.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Same as Act I--three days later.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading CURTIS' study--morning of the following day.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Same as Act I--three days later.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SCENE--Living-room of CURTIS JAYSON'S house in Bridgetown, Conn.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Same as Act I--three days later.
a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading CURTIS' study--morning of the following day.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
according to the clock
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
Identical; not different.
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading SCENE--Living-room of CURTIS JAYSON'S house in Bridgetown, Conn.
the season of growth
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading CURTIS' study--morning of the following day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Living-room in the house of CURTIS JAYSON, Bridgetown, Conn.--an afternoon in early Fall.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading The same--three o'clock in the morning of a day in early spring of the next year.
Chapter 1 of The First Man by Eugene O'Neill holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The First Man, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The First Man by Eugene O'Neill exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 First Man by Eugene O'Neill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2032 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4026 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4026, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 407 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The First Man 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 First Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
