Chapter 1 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The shock was a heavy one. For an instant both combatants were stunned. The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet. Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees. Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
Chapter 1 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading “For an instant both combatants were stunned.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.”
by good fortune
From this reading “Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.”
possessive form of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading “Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.”
unpleasantly
From this reading “Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.”
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “For an instant both combatants were stunned.”
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 The shock was a heavy one.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
the two together, not just one
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
plural of “combatant” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
moving swiftly
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The shock was a heavy one.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
staying power
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
by good fortune
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The shock was a heavy one.
possessive form of “opponent” — a contestant that you are matched against
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
unpleasantly
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading The shock was a heavy one.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shock was a heavy one.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of his opponent's body.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The shock was a heavy one.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For an instant both combatants were stunned.
Chapter 1 of Army Boys on the Firing Line by Homer Randall holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of Army Boys on the Firing Line, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Army Boys on the Firing Line by Homer Randall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Army Boys on the Firing Line by Homer Randall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21671 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21671, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 248 minutes of reading across 596 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Army Boys on the Firing Line section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Army Boys on the Firing Line 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 Army Boys on the Firing Line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
