Chapter 1 of The Professor's House is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Professor's House is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it? Yes, a turquoise set in dull silver.” _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done. Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
Chapter 1 of The Professor's House is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
torn down and broken up
From this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “_For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “_For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.”
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
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
a blue to grey green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate
From this reading ““A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?”
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.
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
In this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
In this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
come up with
In this reading “Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.”
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 “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
Having no one else present.
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
for the reason that
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
torn down and broken up
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Yes, a turquoise set in dull silver.”
at any time
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
in motion
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
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 _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
above and across; more than
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
a blue to grey green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _For Jan, because he likes narrative_ THE moving was over and done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A turquoise set in silver, wasn’t it?
in or at the place that
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, a turquoise set in dull silver.”
Chapter 1 of The Professor's House by Willa Cather holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of The Professor's House, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Professor's House by Willa Cather exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Professor's House by Willa Cather on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3872 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65465 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65465, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 775 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Professor's House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Professor's House 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 Professor's House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
