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.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
Pat's face was marvelous to look upon. It was one great, glowing mass of happiness. He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then. It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur. His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
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 55/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 271–275
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 means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.
From this reading “He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.”
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading “He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.”
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading “He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.”
possessive form of “pat” — the sound made by a gentle blow
From this reading “Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.”
put or confide something in a person or thing
From this reading “His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.”
look on as or consider
In this reading “Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.”
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 He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
A means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
at any time
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
highly enthusiastic
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
a particular point in time
From this reading His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was one great, glowing mass of happiness.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
possessive form of “pat” — the sound made by a gentle blow
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
put or confide something in a person or thing
From this reading His handsome, clever face was not in repose for a moment.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
carry out
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
a source of difficulty
From this reading He did not take the least trouble to disguise his ecstasy, and if ever a man showed he was in paradise, Pat Moore did then.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pat's face was marvelous to look upon.
at the time that
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was different when Juanita danced with Arthur.
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.
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.
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.
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 City in the Clouds by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 364 minutes of reading across 876 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The City in the Clouds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The City in the Clouds 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 City in the Clouds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
