Chapter 1 of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. BALLOON VOYAGES. TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA. It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
Chapter 1 of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading “BALLOON VOYAGES.”
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading “It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.”
additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same
From this reading “TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.”
in an intellectual manner
From this reading “It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.”
in accord with physical laws
From this reading “It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.”
rise rapidly
From this reading “It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.”
plural of “treat” — something considered choice to eat
From this reading “TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.”
plural of “voyage” — an act of traveling by water
From this reading “BALLOON VOYAGES.”
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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
a cherished desire
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading BALLOON VOYAGES.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
in an intellectual manner
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
in accord with physical laws
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
rise rapidly
From this reading It is man's nature to soar intellectually, and it seems to have been his ambition from earliest ages to soar physically.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
plural of “treat” — something considered choice to eat
From this reading TREATS OF EARLY EFFORTS TO FLY, ETCETERA.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading UP IN THE CLOUDS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
plural of “voyage” — an act of traveling by water
From this reading BALLOON VOYAGES.
Chapter 1 of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 492 sentences of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 958 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21708 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21708, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 79 minutes of reading across 192 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages 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 Up in the Clouds: Balloon Voyages, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
