Chapter 1 of Morgue Ship is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Morgue Ship is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This was Burnett's last trip. Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again. He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed. There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_. Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
Chapter 1 of Morgue Ship is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading “This was Burnett's last trip.”
possessive form of “burnett” — United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading “This was Burnett's last trip.”
plural of “claw” — sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
From this reading “He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.”
an arrangement of parts or elements
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading “He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.”
acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence
From this reading “He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.”
plural of “warrior” — someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
From this reading “Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.”
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.
In this reading “There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.”
In this reading “He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.”
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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
anew
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
possessive form of “burnett” — United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading This was Burnett's last trip.
plural of “claw” — sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
without doubt or question
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
an arrangement of parts or elements
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
immediately past
From this reading This was Burnett's last trip.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
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 Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He heard the star-port grind open, and the movement of the metal claws groping into space, and then the star-port closed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was another dead man aboard the _Constellation_.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was Burnett's last trip.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading This was Burnett's last trip.
hard to endure
From this reading Sam Burnett shook his long head, trying to think clearly.
plural of “warrior” — someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was Burnett's last trip.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Three more shelves to fill with space-slain warriors--and he would be among the living again.
Chapter 1 of Morgue Ship by Ray Bradbury holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Morgue Ship, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Morgue Ship by Ray Bradbury exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Morgue Ship by Ray Bradbury on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 33 minutes of reading across 82 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Morgue Ship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Morgue Ship 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 Morgue Ship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
