Chapter 1 of Mission is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mission is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures.... The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain. It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance. Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving.... A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
Chapter 1 of Mission is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading “It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.”
of metal e.g.
From this reading “Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....”
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
From this reading “The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.”
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading “It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.”
abounding in grass
From this reading “The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.”
in a grotesque manner
From this reading “Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....”
a dark grey cloud bearing rain
From this reading “It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.”
-ing form of “shimmer” — shine with a weak or fitful light
From this reading “It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.”
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 “A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.”
In this reading “The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.”
In this reading “It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.”
In this reading “The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.”
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 The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
in addition
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
of metal e.g.
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
the boundary of a surface
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
abounding in grass
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
in a grotesque manner
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
a dark grey cloud bearing rain
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
-ing form of “shimmer” — shine with a weak or fitful light
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
not in physical motion
From this reading A little distance away was another figure, also crumpled and still, but more human-like in appearance.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cylinder stood on the edge of a grassy plain.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
not in motion
From this reading Lying grotesquely crumpled before the cylinder was a strange, alien figure--unmoving....
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was enveloped in a shimmering nimbus of golden brilliance.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be so easy to conquer these primitive creatures....
Chapter 1 of Mission by John Hollis Mason holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of Mission, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mission by John Hollis Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Mission by John Hollis Mason 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 Mission section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Mission 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 Mission, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
