As It Was
As It Was by Paul L. Payne is available here as the complete text, split into 284 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
As It Was by Paul L. Payne. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #63953.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
As It Was
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 281 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of As It Was by Paul L. Payne carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #63953, divided into 3 chapters and 284 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Where can I read As It Was in full?
The complete text of As It Was is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #63953 and divided into 284 sections.
This page carries the whole of As It Was by Paul L. Payne, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #63953, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 1416 sentences across 3 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is As It Was divided for reading?
As It Was is presented in 3 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting As It Was as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 284 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 3 chapters.
Can I hear As It Was read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of As It Was can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of As It Was can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading As It Was
Common questions about reading As It Was by Paul L. Payne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of As It Was?
Yes. All 1416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63953 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of As It Was is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #63953, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does As It Was take to read?
About 118 minutes of reading across 284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read As It Was section by section
How to work through As It Was section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 3 chapters of As It Was to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in As It Was
Words and structures a reader meets early in As It Was, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Cruel
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of As It Was; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Cosmos
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of As It Was; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Lived
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of As It Was; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Killer
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of As It Was; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.