Chapter 5 of "1914" is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of "1914" is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare. “They will be needed at the front. Presumably the choice will be given them.” “And they’ll go,” said the Colonel. “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
Chapter 5 of "1914" is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 strive with determination
From this reading ““They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.””
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “Presumably the choice will be given them.””
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading ““But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.”
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading ““But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.”
your parents
From this reading ““They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.””
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading ““They will be needed at the front.”
a V-shaped indentation
From this reading ““They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.””
by reasonable assumption
From this reading “Presumably the choice will be given them.””
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 ““They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.””
detect with the senses
In this reading ““They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And they’ll go,” said the Colonel.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
to strive with determination
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading Presumably the choice will be given them.”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “And they’ll go,” said the Colonel.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
your parents
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Presumably the choice will be given them.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “And they’ll go,” said the Colonel.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
engage in
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
a V-shaped indentation
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
by reasonable assumption
From this reading Presumably the choice will be given them.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Presumably the choice will be given them.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But they are surely for home defence,” said Mrs Dare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And they’ll go,” said the Colonel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
the upper part of anything
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
hard to endure
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “They’re not half as bad as some folks have been trying to make out, and this will buck them up to top notch.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “They will be needed at the front.
Chapter 5 of "1914" by John Oxenham holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 5 holds 412 sentences of "1914", unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of "1914" by John Oxenham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 5 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 "1914" by John Oxenham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6275 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66846 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66846, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 522 minutes of reading across 1255 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "1914" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of "1914" 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 "1914", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
