Chapter 1 of Circle of Confusion is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Circle of Confusion is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons. Everything from spacesuits to hand generators. Oh Peter! I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!" "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
Chapter 1 of Circle of Confusion is here in full — 693 sentences across 139 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/138 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)
From this reading “"Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.”
the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
From this reading “I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"”
an association of criminals
From this reading “Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.”
plural of “generator” — an apparatus that produces a vapor or gas
From this reading “Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.”
a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
From this reading “Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.”
an interconnected system of things or people
From this reading “Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.”
plural of “spacesuit” — a pressure suit worn by astronauts while in outer space
From this reading “Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.”
an automotive vehicle suitable for hauling
From this reading “I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"”
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.
pursue or resume
In this reading “I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"”
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.
in addition
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
at any time
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.
the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.
an association of criminals
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
plural of “generator” — an apparatus that produces a vapor or gas
From this reading Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
the act of departing
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
an interconnected system of things or people
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh Peter!
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Oh Peter!
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
plural of “spacesuit” — a pressure suit worn by astronauts while in outer space
From this reading Everything from spacesuits to hand generators.
carry out
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
express in words
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ever hear of Sandra Drake before?" asked Tommy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
an automotive vehicle suitable for hauling
From this reading I'm going to quit this ding-busted job and take up truck farming!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Also get on the lens network and tell the gang to oil up their trouble-wagons.
Chapter 1 of Circle of Confusion by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 693 sentences, grouped into 139 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 693 sentences of Circle of Confusion, unabridged, divided into 139 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Circle of Confusion by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 693 sentences, grouped into 139 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 139 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 139 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 Circle of Confusion by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 693 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68208, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 57 minutes of reading across 139 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Circle of Confusion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Circle of Confusion 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 Circle of Confusion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
