Chapter 1 of My Lady Selene is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of My Lady Selene is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Everyone knows the Moon is dead. Everyone is quite correct--now! On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap. As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch. A shock, then darkness.
Chapter 1 of My Lady Selene is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
possessive form of “hatter” — someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
the striking of one body against another
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
past form of “slump” — assume a drooping posture or carriage
From this reading “As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.”
an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.”
impaired by diminution
From this reading “On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.”
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.
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 A shock, then darkness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
make right or correct
From this reading Everyone is quite correct--now!
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A shock, then darkness.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
every person
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
possessive form of “hatter” — someone who makes and sells hats
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
not accessible to view
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
the striking of one body against another
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Everyone is quite correct--now!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Everyone is quite correct--now!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading A shock, then darkness.
past form of “slump” — assume a drooping posture or carriage
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Everyone knows the Moon is dead.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading A shock, then darkness.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
having come into contact
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading As Hatter slumped unconscious he touched the hidden switch.
impaired by diminution
From this reading On impact he'd had time to see Hatter's head jerk loose from the carefully weakened strap.
Chapter 1 of My Lady Selene by Magnus Ludens holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of My Lady Selene, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of My Lady Selene by Magnus Ludens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 My Lady Selene by Magnus Ludens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 147 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 12 minutes of reading across 30 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Lady Selene section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of My Lady Selene 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 My Lady Selene, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
