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.
My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me. I drew it now. But there was nothing to shoot at. I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears. And now I heard something!
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 50/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 246–250
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.
-ing form of “clamp” — fasten or fix with a clamp
From this reading “I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.”
plural of “grid” — a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines
From this reading “I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.”
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.”
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading “My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.”
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading “My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “But there was nothing to shoot at.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.”
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.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now I heard something!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
-ing form of “clamp” — fasten or fix with a clamp
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading I drew it now.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
plural of “grid” — a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading And now I heard something!
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I drew it now.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I drew it now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading I felt Snap clamping the grids on my ears.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading And now I heard something!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there was nothing to shoot at.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My official permit for the carrying of the pencil heat ray allowed me always to have it with me.
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.
