Chapter 2 of Tongues of the Moon is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Tongues of the Moon is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon. The others also stared. Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days. Perhaps weeks. Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
Chapter 2 of Tongues of the Moon is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading “Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.”
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading “Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.”
past form of “cool” — make cool or cooler
From this reading “Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.”
plural of “ember” — a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering
From this reading “Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.”
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading “Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.”
plural of “glare” — a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading “Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.”
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading “Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.”
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.”
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 “Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.”
In this reading “Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.”
In this reading “Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.”
become extinct
In this reading “Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.”
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 Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
anew
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
in addition
From this reading The others also stared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
past form of “cool” — make cool or cooler
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
plural of “ember” — a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
apart from; not including
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
plural of “glare” — a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
not any; not one
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
and nothing more
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others also stared.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps weeks.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The others also stared.
make steady
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Then, Panchurin looked upwards again to Earth, hanging only a little distance above the horizon.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Perhaps weeks.
at the time that
From this reading Then, when the fires died out, the embers cooled, no more fire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Earth, dark now, except for steady glares here and there, forest fires and cities, probably, which would burn for days.
Chapter 2 of Tongues of the Moon by Philip José Farmer holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 holds 433 sentences of Tongues of the Moon, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tongues of the Moon by Philip José Farmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 2 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 Tongues of the Moon by Philip José Farmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tongues of the Moon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Tongues of 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 Tongues of the Moon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
