Chapter 1 of Crankisms is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Crankisms is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Devil is not as black as he is painted. In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding. The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society. A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
Chapter 1 of Crankisms is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 7/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 31–35
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.
equally
From this reading “The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.”
completely unclothed
From this reading “The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.”
plural of “quality” — an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.”
not often
From this reading “A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.”
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
From this reading “The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.”
the act of inflicting a wound
From this reading “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.”
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.”
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 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
equally
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
completely unclothed
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
many times at short intervals
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
coated with paint
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
like better; value more highly
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
plural of “quality” — an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
not often
From this reading A man often envies another man his physical qualities--rarely his mental.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Devil is not as black as he is painted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading The naked truth and a naked lie Are shocking alike to society.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading In fact, he is more like us than we care to admit.
the act of inflicting a wound
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and as it is more blessed to give than to receive, we prefer to do the wounding.
Chapter 1 of Crankisms by Lisle de Vaux Matthewman holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of Crankisms, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Crankisms by Lisle de Vaux Matthewman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Crankisms by Lisle de Vaux Matthewman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Crankisms section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Crankisms 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 Crankisms, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
