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A Lively Bit of the Front
A Lively Bit of the Front

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of A Lively Bit of the Front is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Lively Bit of the Front
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.
_Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.
"Eh?
What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.
"Nothing wrong," said his brother.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Lively Bit of the Front

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 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

Line 1
The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.
Line 2
_Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.
Line 3
"Eh?
Line 4
What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.
Line 5
"Nothing wrong," said his brother.
/ˈnʌθɪŋ rɔːŋ sed hɪz ˈbrʌðər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

busily adverb US /ˈbɪzəli/

in a busy manner

From this reading “What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gum noun US /ɡʌm/

a preparation (usually made of sweetened chicle) for chewing

From this reading “The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inspection noun US /ˌɪnˈspekʃən/

a formal or official examination

From this reading “_Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
kit noun US /kɪt/

a case for containing a set of articles

From this reading “What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overhauling verb US /ˈoʊvərhɔːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “overhaul” — travel past

From this reading “What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tour noun US /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading “_Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trip's noun US /trɪps/

possessive form of “trip” — a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading “The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Zee noun US /ziː/

the 26th letter of the Roman alphabet

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

busily engaged adverb + adjective

In this reading “What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.”

2,310 times in 225,867 chapters
By gum preposition + noun

In this reading “The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.”

546 times in 225,867 chapters
in the steerage preposition + article + noun counted as “in … steerage”

In this reading “The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.”

522 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 52

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
busilyadverbUS /ˈbɪzəli/

in a busy manner

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
contentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
der

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

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

Pending verification
Eh

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

From this reading "Eh?

Pending verification
EndnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
engagedadjectiveUS /enˈɡeɪdʒd/

having ones attention or mind or energy engaged

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enquired

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

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

Pending verification
exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gumnounUS /ɡʌm/

a preparation (usually made of sweetened chicle) for chewing

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inspectionnounUS /ˌɪnˈspekʃən/

a formal or official examination

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
kitnounUS /kɪt/

a case for containing a set of articles

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Koning

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

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

Pending verification
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Malcolm

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Pending verification
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "Nothing wrong," said his brother.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourselvespronounUS /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overhaulingverbUS /ˈoʊvərhɔːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “overhaul” — travel past

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PeternounUS /ˈpiːtər/

disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
preciousadjectiveUS /ˈpreʃəs/

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
providedverbUS /prəˈvaɪdɪd/

past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rejoinedverbUS /riˈdʒɔɪnd/

past form of “rejoin” — join again

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Roermonde

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

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

Pending verification
SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Nothing wrong," said his brother.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scarceadverbUS /skers/

only a very short time before

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SpyverbUS /spaɪ/

catch sight of

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
steeragenoun

the cheapest accommodations on a passenger ship

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tournounUS /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
trip'snounUS /trɪps/

possessive form of “trip” — a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
we'll

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

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Pending verification
What's

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

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

Pending verification
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading The End of a Spy "By gum, Peter, we'll have to make ourselves precious scarce while this trip's on." exclaimed Malcolm as he rejoined his brother in the steerage of the S.S.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading What's wrong now?" enquired Peter, busily engaged in overhauling the contents of a small kit provided by his friends at Roermonde.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ZeenounUS /ziː/

the 26th letter of the Roman alphabet

From this reading _Koning der Zee_ after a tour of inspection.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 27 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.

What does chapter 27 of A Lively Bit of the Front contain?

Chapter 27 holds 143 sentences of A Lively Bit of the Front, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 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.

How do I study chapter 27 of A Lively Bit of the Front?

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.

Can chapter 27 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 27 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.

Questions about reading A Lively Bit of the Front

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.

Is this the complete text of A Lively Bit of the Front?

Yes. All 4302 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Lively Bit of the Front is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Lively Bit of the Front take to read?

About 358 minutes of reading across 861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Lively Bit of the Front section by section

How to work through A Lively Bit of the Front section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of A Lively Bit of the Front to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Lively Bit of the Front

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Lively Bit of the Front, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Zealand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lively Bit of the Front; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rifles
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lively Bit of the Front; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Western
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lively Bit of the Front; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Front
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lively Bit of the Front; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.