Chapter 1 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan). [=u] represents a letter "u" with a macron (example: Shi--j[=u]). Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS. The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A. No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
Chapter 1 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading “No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.”
a university in England
From this reading “The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.”
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading “Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.”
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading “[=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.”
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading “Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.”
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading “[=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).”
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading “The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.”
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 “No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.”
a character having the form of an upper-case letter but the same height as lower-case letters
In this reading “Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.”
In this reading “No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.”
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 [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a university in England
From this reading The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.
plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
one or the other of two
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading [=u] represents a letter "u" with a macron (example: Shi--j[=u]).
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a diacritical mark (-) placed above a vowel to indicate a long sound
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
not any; not one
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a human being
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [=u] represents a letter "u" with a macron (example: Shi--j[=u]).
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading [=u] represents a letter "u" with a macron (example: Shi--j[=u]).
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Small capitals were replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading No character in this book, belonging either to public or private life, is taken as a whole or in part from any person.
in the company of; together with
From this reading [=o] represents a letter "o" with a macron (example: d[=o]dan).
Chapter 1 of The Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Breath of the Gods, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 The Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11371 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42365 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42365, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2275 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Breath of the Gods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Breath of the Gods 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 The Breath of the Gods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
