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.
The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level. At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted. The stores and office arcades were all closed. Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along. I felt depressed and oppressed.
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 43/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 211–215
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.
plural of “arcade” — a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading “The stores and office arcades were all closed.”
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading “At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.”
lower than previously
From this reading “I felt depressed and oppressed.”
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.”
plural of “grid” — a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines
From this reading “Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.”
burdened psychologically or mentally
From this reading “I felt depressed and oppressed.”
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading “At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.”
plural of “store” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “The stores and office arcades were all closed.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
plural of “arcade” — a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
lower than previously
From this reading I felt depressed and oppressed.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt depressed and oppressed.
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
plural of “grid” — a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
ten 10s
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I felt depressed and oppressed.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
burdened psychologically or mentally
From this reading I felt depressed and oppressed.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
plural of “store” — a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this hour of the night the business section was comparatively deserted.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The corridor was two hundred feet or more below the ground level.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Our footfall echoed on the metal grids as we hurried along.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stores and office arcades were all closed.
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.
