Chapter 1 of A Lively Bit of the Front is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Lively Bit of the Front is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold. In Defiance of the Ban. Captain Sang. The Senior Cadet. The Amir's Ruby.
Chapter 1 of A Lively Bit of the Front is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
possessive form of “amir” — an independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia)
From this reading “The Amir's Ruby.”
forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)
From this reading “In Defiance of the Ban.”
a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading “The Senior Cadet.”
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading “In Defiance of the Ban.”
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading “A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.”
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “The Amir's Ruby.”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “The Senior Cadet.”
the largest island of Denmark and the site of Copenhagen
From this reading “A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.”
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 “A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.”
In this reading “In Defiance of the Ban.”
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 A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
possessive form of “amir” — an independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia)
From this reading The Amir's Ruby.
forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)
From this reading In Defiance of the Ban.
a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading The Senior Cadet.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading In Defiance of the Ban.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
coins made of gold
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Defiance of the Ban.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading The Amir's Ruby.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading Captain Sang.
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading The Senior Cadet.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
the largest island of Denmark and the site of Copenhagen
From this reading A Tale of the New Zealand Rifles on the Western Front Captain Fosdyke's Gold.
Chapter 1 of A Lively Bit of the Front by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of A Lively Bit of the Front, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Lively Bit of the Front by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 A Lively Bit of the Front by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4302 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 358 minutes of reading across 861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Lively Bit of the Front section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of A Lively Bit of the Front 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 A Lively Bit of the Front, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
