Chapter 1 of Delusion is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Delusion is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND. "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR. BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND COMPANY. 1840. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
Chapter 1 of Delusion is here in full — 12 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
a state of supreme happiness
From this reading “"There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.”
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.”
a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.”
a person whose occupation is making and altering garments
From this reading “"There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.”
of or concerning this or that
From this reading “"There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.”
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.
In this reading “Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1840.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a state of supreme happiness
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND COMPANY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND COMPANY.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND COMPANY.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND COMPANY.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
a person whose occupation is making and altering garments
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
of or concerning this or that
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading OR THE WITCH OF NEW ENGLAND.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "There is in man a HIGHER than love of happiness: he can do without happiness, and, instead thereof, find blessedness."--SARTOR.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1839, BY HILLIARD, GRAY & CO. in the clerk's office of the district court of Massachusetts.
Chapter 1 of Delusion by Eliza Buckminster Lee holds 12 sentences, grouped into 3 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 12 sentences of Delusion, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Delusion by Eliza Buckminster Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 12 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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.
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Yes. All 1408 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39176 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39176, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 117 minutes of reading across 282 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Delusion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Delusion 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 Delusion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
