Chapter 14 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 XIV
Chapter 14 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You, Haljan. How nice!" It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston. XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously. He saw me go up the spider stairs.
Chapter 14 of Brigands of the Moon is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading “XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “How nice!"”
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading “He saw me go up the spider stairs.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “He saw me go up the spider stairs.”
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading “XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You, Haljan.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How nice!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading How nice!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He saw me go up the spider stairs.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not Wilks, but the brigand Coniston.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-three and one
From this reading XXIV The duty man at the exit locks stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You, Haljan.
Chapter 14 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 14 holds 404 sentences of Brigands of the Moon, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 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 14 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.
