Chapter 1 of The great illusion is here in full — 610 sentences across 122 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The great illusion is here in full — 610 sentences across 122 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet. Their culture was counterfeit. But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act? Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent. He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
Chapter 1 of The great illusion is here in full — 610 sentences across 122 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/122 · 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.
covered with beads of liquid
From this reading “Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.”
being very thin
From this reading “He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.”
a person who communicates with others
From this reading “He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.”
a copy that is represented as the original
From this reading “Their culture was counterfeit.”
plural of “jowl” — the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth
From this reading “Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.”
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
From this reading “There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.”
not circulating or flowing
From this reading “Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.”
in a condition for letting out liquid drawn out as by piercing or drawing a plug
From this reading “He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.”
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.
put clothing on one's body
In this reading “But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?”
In this reading “He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.”
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 tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
covered with beads of liquid
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
being very thin
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
a person who communicates with others
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
a copy that is represented as the original
From this reading Their culture was counterfeit.
a particular society at a particular time and place
From this reading Their culture was counterfeit.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
plural of “jowl” — the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
not circulating or flowing
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
in a condition for letting out liquid drawn out as by piercing or drawing a plug
From this reading He tapped a bony finger on the camp table and glared at the communicator.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their culture was counterfeit.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
a source of difficulty
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading There was something phony about the whole set-up on that planet.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading But why did they go to so much trouble to put on their act?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Cliff Rowley's lean jowls beaded with sweat in the stagnant warmth of the tent.
Chapter 1 of The great illusion by Manly Banister holds 610 sentences, grouped into 122 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 610 sentences of The great illusion, unabridged, divided into 122 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The great illusion by Manly Banister exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 610 sentences, grouped into 122 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 122 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 122 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 great illusion by Manly Banister 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 The great illusion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The great illusion 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 great illusion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
