Chapter 1 of The First Man on the Moon is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The First Man on the Moon is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon. But he wasn't. He was only the first murderer. The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain. The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
Chapter 1 of The First Man on the Moon is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
of metal e.g.
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
joined together into a whole
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
the striking of one body against another
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
plural of “nozzle” — a projecting spout from which a fluid is discharged
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
a light glass formed on the surface of some lavas; used as an abrasive
From this reading “The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.”
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture
From this reading “The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.”
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 The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he wasn't.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
of metal e.g.
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
joined together into a whole
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he wasn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
the striking of one body against another
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
a compact mass
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading He was only the first murderer.
plural of “nozzle” — a projecting spout from which a fluid is discharged
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
and nothing more
From this reading He was only the first murderer.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
a light glass formed on the surface of some lavas; used as an abrasive
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
transport commercially
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The First Man On The Moon John Thurmon swore he'd be the first man on the moon.
used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was only the first murderer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But he wasn't.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The rocket nozzles were a fused lump of slag; the fire-darkened hull crumpled and warped by the impact of landing.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
From this reading The ship lay at a crazy angle on the stark whiteness of the pumice plain.
Chapter 1 of The First Man on the Moon by Alfred Coppel holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 195 sentences of The First Man on the Moon, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The First Man on the Moon by Alfred Coppel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 The First Man on the Moon by Alfred Coppel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 195 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64678 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64678, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 16 minutes of reading across 39 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First Man on the Moon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The First Man on the 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 The First Man on the Moon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
