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The City in the Clouds
The City in the Clouds

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Guy Thorne • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The City in the Clouds
Context Illustration Reading 5/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.
His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.
A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.
Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.
Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The City in the Clouds

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 5/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 21–25

Line 1
He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.
/hiː wɑːz ə mæn ʌv ˈsɪksti ɑːd wɪð ə θɪk θætʃ ʌv waɪt her wɪtʃ keɪm daʊn əˈpɑːn hɪz ˈrɪŋkəld ˈfɔːrhed ɪn ə piːk/
Line 2
His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.
Line 3
A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.
/ə strɔːŋ dʒɔː kəmˈpliːtəd æn ˌɪmˈpreʃən ʌv æbˈnɔːrməl ˈkwaɪət ənd lɔːŋ enˈdjʊrɪŋ streŋkθ/
Line 4
Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.
/ˌɪnˈdiːd ðə hoʊl feɪs wɑːz ə mæsk ʌv ˌɪmoʊˈbɪlɪti/
Line 5
Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.
/bɪˈniːθ ˈhevi blæk braʊz wɜːr aɪz æz dɑːrk æz naɪt klɪr bʌt wɪˈθaʊt ɪkˈspreʃən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

abnormal adjective US /æbˈnɔːrməl/

not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm

From this reading “A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enduring adjective US /enˈdjʊrɪŋ/

lasting a long time

From this reading “A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hawk noun US /hɔːk/

diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail

From this reading “His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
immobility noun US /ˌɪmoʊˈbɪlɪti/

remaining in place

From this reading “Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peak noun US /piːk/

the most extreme possible amount or value

From this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tanned adjective US /tænd/

(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun

From this reading “His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatch noun US /θætʃ/

hair resembling thatched roofing material

From this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wrinkled adjective US /ˈrɪŋkəld/

marked by wrinkles

From this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

wrinkled forehead adjective + noun

In this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

180 times in 426,211 chapters
white hair noun + noun

In this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

4,699 times in 426,211 chapters
black brows adjective + noun counted as “black brow”

In this reading “Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.”

715 times in 426,211 chapters
like a hawk verb + article + noun counted as “like … hawk”

In this reading “His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.”

455 times in 426,211 chapters
came down verb + adjective counted as “come down”

move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

In this reading “He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.”

63,240 times in 426,211 chapters
whole face adjective + noun

In this reading “Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.”

2,036 times in 426,211 chapters
mask of verb + particle

In this reading “Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.”

3,098 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
abnormaladjectiveUS /æbˈnɔːrməl/

not normal; not typical or usual or regular or conforming to a norm

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beakedadjective

having or resembling a beak

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BeneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

Velmora curated lexicon
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
browsnounUS /braʊz/

plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
colornounUS /ˈkʌlər/

a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
completedadjectiveUS /kəmˈpliːtəd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enduringadjectiveUS /enˈdjʊrɪŋ/

lasting a long time

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
expressionnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃən/

the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foreheadnounUS /ˈfɔːrhed/

the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hawknounUS /hɔːk/

diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
immobilitynounUS /ˌɪmoʊˈbɪlɪti/

remaining in place

From this reading Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
impressionnounUS /ˌɪmˈpreʃən/

a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IndeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
jawverbUS /dʒɔː/

talk socially without exchanging too much information

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knifenounUS /naɪf/

edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
liplessadjective

without a lip or lips

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
maskverbUS /mæsk/

hide under a false appearance

From this reading Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mereadjectiveUS /mɪr/

being nothing more than specified

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nosenounUS /noʊz/

the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oddadjectiveUS /ɑːd/

not divisible by two

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peaknounUS /piːk/

the most extreme possible amount or value

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saddleverbUS /ˈsædəl/

put a saddle on

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/

being ten more than fifty

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strengthnounUS /streŋkθ/

the property of being physically or mentally strong

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading A strong jaw completed an impression of abnormal quiet, and long enduring strength.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tannedadjectiveUS /tænd/

(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatchnounUS /θætʃ/

hair resembling thatched roofing material

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thickadjectiveUS /θɪk/

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His face was tanned to the color of an old saddle, his nose beaked like a hawk, and his mouth was a mere lipless cut which might have been made by a knife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading Indeed the whole face was a mask of immobility.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Beneath heavy black brows were eyes as dark as night, clear, but without expression.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wrinkledadjectiveUS /ˈrɪŋkəld/

marked by wrinkles

From this reading He was a man of sixty odd, with a thick thatch of white hair which came down upon his wrinkled forehead in a peak.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds by Guy Thorne holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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.

What does chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds contain?

Chapter 1 holds 433 sentences of The City in the Clouds, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The City in the Clouds?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The City in the Clouds

Common questions about reading The City in the Clouds by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The City in the Clouds?

Yes. All 4378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The City in the Clouds is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The City in the Clouds take to read?

About 364 minutes of reading across 876 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The City in the Clouds section by section

How to work through The City in the Clouds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The City in the Clouds to begin.

  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The City in the Clouds

Words and structures a reader meets early in The City in the Clouds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Griffith
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City in the Clouds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boynton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City in the Clouds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Strange
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City in the Clouds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Adventures
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The City in the Clouds; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.