Martian Nightmare

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Bryce Walton • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Martian Nightmare

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Three tough, cynical fighting-men of Earth--Danton, Keith, Van Ness--rose from their tomb of forgetfulness ... to find themselves space-wrecked on Mars, the last hope of mankind against the evil and immortal Oligarchs.

It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

Or was it?

_His name was Burton.

John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/97

Martian Nightmare

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/97 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

/ɪt wɑːz wɪrd ˌɪnˈkredəbəl ɪt wɑːz ə ˈhɔːrəbəl driːm bʌt ɪt wɑːz riːl/

Line 3

Or was it?

/ɔːr wɑːz ɪt/

Line 4

_His name was Burton.

/hɪz neɪm wɑːz ˈbɜːrtən/

Line 5

John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

/dʒɑːn ɑːr ˈbɜːrtən hiː wɑːz æz ˈhæpi æz ˈeniwʌn kʊd ɪkˈspekt tuː biː/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Burton noun US /ˈbɜːrtən/

English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)

From this reading “_His name was Burton.”

cynical adjective US /ˈsɪnɪkəl/

believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others

From this reading “Three tough, cynical fighting-men of Earth--Danton, Keith, Van Ness--rose from their tomb of forgetfulness ... to find themselves space-wrecked on Mars, the last hope of mankind against the evil and immortal Oligarchs.”

Danton noun US /ˈdæntən/

French revolutionary leader who stormed the Paris bastille and who supported the execution of Louis XVI but was guillotined by Robespierre for his opposition to the Reign of Terror (1759-1794)

Mars noun US /mɑːrz/

a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color

Ness noun US /nes/

a strip of land projecting into a body of water

Oligarchs noun US /ˈoʊlɪɡɑːrks/

plural of “oligarch” — one of the rulers in an oligarchy

tough adjective US /tʌf/

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

weird adjective US /wɪrd/

suggesting the operation of supernatural influences

From this reading “It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

horrible dream adjective + noun

In this reading “It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.”

of mankind preposition + noun

In this reading “Three tough, cynical fighting-men of Earth--Danton, Keith, Van Ness--rose from their tomb of forgetfulness ... to find themselves space-wrecked on Mars, the last hope of mankind against the evil and immortal Oligarchs.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Three tough, cynical fighting-men of Earth--Danton, Keith, Van Ness--rose from their tomb of forgetfulness ... to find themselves space-wrecked on Mars, the last hope of mankind against the evil and immortal Oligarchs.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

anyonepronounUS /ˈeniwʌn/

any person at all

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

BurtonnounUS /ˈbɜːrtən/

English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)

From this reading _His name was Burton.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

cynicaladjectiveUS /ˈsɪnɪkəl/

believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others

DantonnounUS /ˈdæntən/

French revolutionary leader who stormed the Paris bastille and who supported the execution of Louis XVI but was guillotined by Robespierre for his opposition to the Reign of Terror (1759-1794)

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

EarthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

evilnounUS /ˈiːvəl/

morally objectionable behavior

expectverbUS /ɪkˈspekt/

regard something as probable or likely

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

fighting-men

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

forgetfulnessnoun

tendency to forget

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading _His name was Burton.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

horribleadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəbəl/

provoking horror

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

immortaladjUS /ɪˈmɔːr.t̬əl/

Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)

incredibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkredəbəl/

beyond belief or understanding

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

Keith

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

mankindnounUS /ˈmænˈkaɪnd/

all of the living human inhabitants of the earth

MarsnounUS /mɑːrz/

a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading _His name was Burton.

NessnounUS /nes/

a strip of land projecting into a body of water

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

OligarchsnounUS /ˈoʊlɪɡɑːrks/

plural of “oligarch” — one of the rulers in an oligarchy

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Or was it?

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading John R. Burton._ _He was as happy as anyone could expect to be.

realadjectiveUS /riːl/

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

space-wrecked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

tombnounUS /tuːm/

a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)

toughadjectiveUS /tʌf/

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

VannounUS /væn/

any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

weirdadjectiveUS /wɪrd/

suggesting the operation of supernatural influences

From this reading It was weird, incredible, it was a horrible dream ... but it was real.

Chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare by Bryce Walton holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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.

What does chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare contain?

Chapter 1 holds 489 sentences of Martian Nightmare, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare by Bryce Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Martian Nightmare?

Work through the 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 98 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Martian Nightmare

Common questions about reading Martian Nightmare by Bryce Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Martian Nightmare?

Yes. All 1454 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63997 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Martian Nightmare is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #63997, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Martian Nightmare take to read?

About 121 minutes of reading across 291 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Martian Nightmare section by section

How to work through Martian Nightmare section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Martian Nightmare

Words and structures a reader meets early in Martian Nightmare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Three: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Martian Nightmare; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tough: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Martian Nightmare; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cynical: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Martian Nightmare; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fighting-men: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Martian Nightmare; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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