Chapter 1 of The Woman in the Alcove is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Woman in the Alcove is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate. I was not made for love.
Chapter 1 of The Woman in the Alcove is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
past form of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading “Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.”
be greater in significance than
From this reading “Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.”
superlative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.”
according to the clock
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading “Why and how, I am about to relate.”
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading “Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.”
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
in addition
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
past form of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
be greater in significance than
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was not made for love.
a young female
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
superlative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I was not made for love.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I was not made for love.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was not made for love.
according to the clock
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
by chance
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I was also the happiest—up to one o’clock.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why and how, I am about to relate.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse.
Chapter 1 of The Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katharine Green holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 157 sentences of The Woman in the Alcove, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1851, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 702 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Woman in the Alcove section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Woman in the Alcove 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 Woman in the Alcove, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
