Chapter 1 of The Pit is here in full — 415 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 Pit is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved. "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed. "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered. "Oh!" This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
Chapter 1 of The Pit is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 44/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 216–220
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.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading “If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.”
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading “If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.”
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading “If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “"I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.”
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading “If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.”
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading “This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “"I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.”
by bad luck
From this reading “"They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
immediately past
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!"
by chance
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
by bad luck
From this reading "They haven't a telephone, unfortunately," he answered.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading If he had introduced himself to her, had forced himself upon her, she could not be more lofty, more reserved.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was quite the last slight, the Cresslers had not a telephone!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought perhaps you might telephone," she observed.
Chapter 1 of The Pit by Frank Norris holds 415 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.
Chapter 1 holds 415 sentences of The Pit, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Pit by Frank Norris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Pit by Frank Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1729 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Pit 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 Pit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
