Chapter 4 of Queen of the Martian Catacombs is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Queen of the Martian Catacombs is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The dim daylight faded from the gratings. Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons. Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block. Stark's eyes glowed. The empty jug dropped and broke.
Chapter 4 of Queen of the Martian Catacombs is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “The dim daylight faded from the gratings.”
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading “The dim daylight faded from the gratings.”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.”
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading “Stark's eyes glowed.”
a large bottle with a narrow mouth
From this reading “The empty jug dropped and broke.”
plural of “moon” — the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.”
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading “Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.”
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 “Stark's eyes glowed.”
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 Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
lacking funds
From this reading The empty jug dropped and broke.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The empty jug dropped and broke.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The empty jug dropped and broke.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Stark's eyes glowed.
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading Stark's eyes glowed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
a large bottle with a narrow mouth
From this reading The empty jug dropped and broke.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
plural of “moon” — the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Darkness came, and the pale glimmer of the moons.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stark's eyes glowed.
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading Freka became a silvered statue of a man, sitting on the block.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dim daylight faded from the gratings.
Chapter 4 of Queen of the Martian Catacombs by Leigh Brackett holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 4 holds 455 sentences of Queen of the Martian Catacombs, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Queen of the Martian Catacombs by Leigh Brackett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 4 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 Queen of the Martian Catacombs by Leigh Brackett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63956 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63956, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 151 minutes of reading across 363 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Queen of the Martian Catacombs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Queen of the Martian Catacombs 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 Queen of the Martian Catacombs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
