Chapter 1 of First Stage: Moon is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of First Stage: Moon is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return. They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history. Nations would seek them out.... "What color's the sky?" "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
Chapter 1 of First Stage: Moon is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
past form of “acclaim” — praise vociferously
From this reading “They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.”
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading “They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.”
plural of “blade” — especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading “"Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."”
past form of “fete” — have a celebration
From this reading “They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.”
plural of “hero” — a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.”
edge tool used in shaving
From this reading “"Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."”
past form of “welcome” — accept gladly
From this reading “They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.”
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 “acclaim” — praise vociferously
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
plural of “blade” — especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What color's the sky?"
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
past form of “fete” — have a celebration
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
highest in quality
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
plural of “hero” — a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
the force of workers available
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Nations would seek them out....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Nations would seek them out....
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
edge tool used in shaving
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
try to get or reach
From this reading Nations would seek them out....
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading "What color's the sky?"
not in physical motion
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Nations would seek them out....
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
propel through the air
From this reading "Still black as the place the devils throw their old razor blades."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
past form of “welcome” — accept gladly
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were the first men on Earth to reach the Moon and return.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What color's the sky?"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They were heroes of the world; they would be welcomed and acclaimed and feted for the greatest achievement in history.
Chapter 1 of First Stage: Moon by Dick Hetschel holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of First Stage: Moon, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of First Stage: Moon by Dick Hetschel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 First Stage: Moon by Dick Hetschel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Stage: Moon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of First Stage: 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 First Stage: Moon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
