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A Sub and a Submarine
A Sub and a Submarine

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of A Sub and a Submarine is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Sub and a Submarine
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.
R.A.F.
"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.
Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.
The Wireless Officer.
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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.

A Sub and a Submarine

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of A Sub and a Submarine is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.
Line 2
R.A.F.
Line 3
"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.
Line 4
Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.
Line 5
The Wireless Officer.
/ðə ˈwaɪrlɪs ˈɔːfəsər/

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.

Cruise verb US /kruːz/

drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure

From this reading “Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.”

Outlook noun US /ˈaʊtlʊk/

a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations

From this reading “"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.”

percy noun US /ˈpɜːrsi/

United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)

From this reading “BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.”

peruse verb US /pərˈuːz/

examine or consider with attention and in detail

From this reading “"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.”

pulses noun US /ˈpʌlsɪz/

plural of “pulse” — (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)

From this reading “"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.”

quickening noun US /ˈkwɪkənɪŋ/

the process of showing signs of life

From this reading “"No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.”

Scouts noun US /skaʊts/

plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

From this reading “Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.”

Wireless noun US /ˈwaɪrlɪs/

medium for communication

From this reading “The Wireless Officer.”

All words in this reading · 33

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 R.A.F.

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/

possessing life

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.

CruiseverbUS /kruːz/

drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

FnounUS /ef/

a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature

From this reading BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

LIEUT

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

From this reading BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

OfficernounUS /ˈɔːfəsər/

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

From this reading The Wireless Officer.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

OutlooknounUS /ˈaʊtlʊk/

a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

pagesnounUS /ˈpeɪdʒəz/

plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

PERCYnounUS /ˈpɜːrsi/

United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)

From this reading BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.

peruseverbUS /pərˈuːz/

examine or consider with attention and in detail

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

pulsesnounUS /ˈpʌlsɪz/

plural of “pulse” — (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

quickeningnounUS /ˈkwɪkənɪŋ/

the process of showing signs of life

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading R.A.F.

ScoutsnounUS /skaʊts/

plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

SeanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

Spindriftnoun

spray blown up from the surface of the sea

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

up-Channel

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

From this reading Sea Scouts up-Channel; or, The Cruise of the _Spindrift_.

WESTERMAN

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

From this reading BY PERCY F. WESTERMAN LIEUT.

Westerman's

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

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

WirelessnounUS /ˈwaɪrlɪs/

medium for communication

From this reading The Wireless Officer.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading "No boy alive will be able to peruse Mr. Westerman's pages without a quickening of his pulses."--Outlook.

Chapter 1 of A Sub and a Submarine by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 1 of A Sub and a Submarine contain?

Chapter 1 holds 136 sentences of A Sub and a Submarine, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of A Sub and a Submarine by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 1 of A Sub and a Submarine?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Sub and a Submarine

Common questions about reading A Sub and a Submarine by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Sub and a Submarine?

Yes. All 2647 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47745 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Sub and a Submarine is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47745, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Sub and a Submarine take to read?

About 220 minutes of reading across 530 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Sub and a Submarine section by section

How to work through A Sub and a Submarine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of A Sub and a Submarine 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 Sub and a Submarine

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Sub and a Submarine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Percy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sub and a Submarine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Westerman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sub and a Submarine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lieut
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sub and a Submarine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alive
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sub and a Submarine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.