The Big Idea
The Big Idea by Ray Cummings is available here as the complete text, split into 290 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Big Idea by Ray Cummings. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #67259.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Big Idea
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 286 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Big Idea by Ray Cummings carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #67259, divided into 9 chapters and 290 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 The Big Idea in full?
The complete text of The Big Idea is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #67259 and divided into 290 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Big Idea by Ray Cummings, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #67259, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 1446 sentences across 9 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 The Big Idea divided for reading?
The Big Idea is presented in 9 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Big Idea as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 290 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 9 chapters.
Can I hear The Big Idea read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Big Idea can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Big Idea 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 The Big Idea
Common questions about reading The Big Idea by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Big Idea?
Yes. All 1446 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Big Idea is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #67259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Big Idea take to read?
About 120 minutes of reading across 290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Big Idea section by section
How to work through The Big Idea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Big Idea 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 The Big Idea
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Big Idea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Jimmy
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Idea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Wash-house
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Idea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Early
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Idea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- April
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Idea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.