Chapter 2 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And a real sound smothered the phantom. Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness. He was smoking. I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash. It could not have been him I was chasing.
Chapter 2 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 40/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 196–200
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 residue that remains when something is burned
From this reading “I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.”
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “It could not have been him I was chasing.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.”
physically weak
From this reading “I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.”
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading “Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.”
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading “And a real sound smothered the phantom.”
an officer aboard a ship who keeps accounts and attends to the passengers' welfare
From this reading “Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.”
held in check with difficulty
From this reading “And a real sound smothered the phantom.”
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 And a real sound smothered the phantom.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
the residue that remains when something is burned
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
the state of being poorly illuminated
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
physically weak
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was smoking.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
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 I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It could not have been him I was chasing.
being perceived or observed
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
an officer aboard a ship who keeps accounts and attends to the passengers' welfare
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading He was smoking.
held in check with difficulty
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I noticed that his cigar held a long frail ash.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And a real sound smothered the phantom.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Johnson the purser was sitting here alone in the dimness.
Chapter 2 of Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 2 holds 404 sentences of Brigands of the Moon, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 2 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.
