Chapter 9 of The First Men in the Moon is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The First Men in the Moon is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I did not attempt to stand up. It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead. Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening. I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet. It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
Chapter 9 of The First Men in the Moon is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
the first light of day
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
of the color between blue and yellow in the color spectrum; similar to the color of fresh grass
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.”
occurring or falling between events or points in time
From this reading “Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.”
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
the display of a motion picture
From this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
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.
In this reading “It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.”
In this reading “It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.”
rise to one's feet
In this reading “I did not attempt to stand up.”
communicate the intended meaning or impression
In this reading “I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.”
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 was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
the first light of day
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
of the color between blue and yellow in the color spectrum; similar to the color of fresh grass
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
the act of grasping
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
marked by or paying little heed or attention
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
occurring or falling between events or points in time
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
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 It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
not any; not one
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mother Earth had her grip on me now—no Cavorite intervening.
above and across; more than
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
on the contrary
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
the display of a motion picture
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to me that my body must be suddenly changed to lead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I did not attempt to stand up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was dawn, a grey dawn, rather overcast but showing here and there a long patch of greenish grey.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading I sat down heedless of the water that came over my feet.
Chapter 9 of The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells holds 435 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 9 holds 435 sentences of The First Men in the Moon, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 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 9 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 First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells 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 First Men in the Moon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The First Men in the Moon 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 First Men in the Moon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
