Chapter 1 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?" "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing. But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions. We had him in custody once. He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
Chapter 1 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 29/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 141–145
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 state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading “We had him in custody once.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"”
plural of “martian” — imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading “He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."”
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading “But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.”
not conforming to approved standards of social or professional behavior
From this reading “But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.”
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading “He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."”
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.
in the past
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading We had him in custody once.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had him in custody once.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We had him in custody once.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
apprehended with certainty
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
plural of “martian” — imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
on one occasion
From this reading We had him in custody once.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
by chance
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
with low volume
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
on the contrary
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Much," said Halsey quietly, "or perhaps nothing.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
not conforming to approved standards of social or professional behavior
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had him in custody once.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
a late time of life
From this reading But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading He is known as unusually friendly with several Martians in Greater New York of bad reputation."
Chapter 1 of Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Brigands of the Moon, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7750 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19066, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brigands of the Moon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Brigands of 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 Brigands of the Moon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
