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From the Earth to the Moon
From the Earth to the Moon

Chapter V · Permissive Limits of Ignorance and Belief in the United States

Cover illustration for From the Earth to the Moon
Context Illustration Reading 1/9 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.
Everybody set to work to study assiduously.
One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.
The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.
The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

From the Earth to the Moon

Chapter V · Permissive Limits of Ignorance and Belief in the United States

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.
Line 2
Everybody set to work to study assiduously.
Line 3
One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.
Line 4
The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.
Line 5
The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Everybody pronoun US /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading “Everybody set to work to study assiduously.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.”

All words in this reading · 80

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

ages

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

America

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

anecdotes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

appeared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

ascribed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

assiduously

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Everybody set to work to study assiduously.

astronomical

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

Barbicane's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

become

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

caught

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

Club

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

dealt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

enterprise

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

especially

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

EverybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading Everybody set to work to study assiduously.

facts

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

glimpse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

Gun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

heavens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

ignorance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

immediate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

influences

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

journals

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

just

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

moon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

moon-mad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

Night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

orders

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

papers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

past

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

place

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

played

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

proposition

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

Queen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

questions

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

recalled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

relative

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

result

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

revived

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

scientific

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

seized

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

selenomania

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

set

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Everybody set to work to study assiduously.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

study

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Everybody set to work to study assiduously.

sun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

touched

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scientific journals, for their part, dealt more especially with the questions which touched upon the enterprise of the Gun Club.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The immediate result of Barbicane’s proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

wolves

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers revived all the old anecdotes in which the “sun of the wolves” played a part; they recalled the influences which the ignorance of past ages ascribed to her; in short, all America was seized with selenomania, or had become moon-mad.

work

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Everybody set to work to study assiduously.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading One would have thought that the moon had just appeared for the first time, and that no one had ever before caught a glimpse of her in the heavens.