Chapter 1 of The Land of the Changing Sun is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Land of the Changing Sun is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke. “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds. It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads. If we are above the ocean we are lost.” Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
Chapter 1 of The Land of the Changing Sun is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 8/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 36–40
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.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading “Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading ““I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.”
the boundary of a surface
From this reading “Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.”
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading “It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.”
past form of “whisk” — move somewhere quickly
From this reading “It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.”
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 It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading If we are above the ocean we are lost.”
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If we are above the ocean we are lost.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we are above the ocean we are lost.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
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 Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading If we are above the ocean we are lost.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
above and across; more than
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
express in words
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If we are above the ocean we are lost.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Thorndyke looked over the edge of the car long and attentively, then he exclaimed suddenly:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I don't know; I can't tell what is beneath those clouds.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where can we be?” asked Thorndyke.
during the time that
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
past form of “whisk” — move somewhere quickly
From this reading It may be earth, sea or ocean; we were evidently whisked along in a storm while we were out of our heads.
Chapter 1 of The Land of the Changing Sun by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of The Land of the Changing Sun, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Land of the Changing Sun by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Land of the Changing Sun by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3046 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3046, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 235 minutes of reading across 565 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Land of the Changing Sun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Land of the Changing Sun 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 Land of the Changing Sun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
