Chapter 1 of The Moons of Mars is here in full — 573 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Moons of Mars is here in full — 573 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians. But this one did! He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net. He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_. He came whistling.
Chapter 1 of The Moons of Mars is here in full — 573 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/114 · 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.
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading “He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.”
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading “He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.”
plural of “martian” — imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading “Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.”
make whistling sounds
From this reading “Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.”
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading “He came whistling.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.”
In this reading “He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.”
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 He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
a youthful male person
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this one did!
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came whistling.
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But this one did!
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
apart from; not including
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
plural of “martian” — imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But this one did!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this one did!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
precisely as stated
From this reading He seemed a very little boy to be carrying so large a butterfly net.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
make whistling sounds
From this reading Every boy should be able to whistle, except, of course, Martians.
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading He came whistling.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He swung it in his chubby right fist as he walked, and at first glance you couldn't be sure if he were carrying it, or it carrying _him_.
Chapter 1 of The Moons of Mars by Dean Evans holds 573 sentences, grouped into 115 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 573 sentences of The Moons of Mars, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Moons of Mars by Dean Evans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 573 sentences, grouped into 115 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 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 115 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 Moons of Mars by Dean Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 573 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50826 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50826, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 47 minutes of reading across 115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Moons of Mars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Moons of Mars 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 Moons of Mars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
