Chapter 8 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom. The world seemed to end for him then and there. The first surprise had paralyzed him. Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth. But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
Chapter 8 of Army Boys on the Firing Line is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.”
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.”
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading “THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.”
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading “Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.”
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading “THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.”
affected with paralysis
From this reading “The first surprise had paralyzed him.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.”
kill by squeezing the throat of so as to cut off the air
From this reading “Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.”
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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first surprise had paralyzed him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The first surprise had paralyzed him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
affected with paralysis
From this reading The first surprise had paralyzed him.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
kill by squeezing the throat of so as to cut off the air
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The first surprise had paralyzed him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
male cat
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
up to a particular time
From this reading But it kept on remorselessly until the alarm ran down.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then he rolled upon the betraying clock, tried to crush it, strangle it, press it into the earth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CONFESSION To poor Tom that ringing was the crack of doom.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world seemed to end for him then and there.
Chapter 8 of Army Boys on the Firing Line by Homer Randall holds 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 8 holds 108 sentences of Army Boys on the Firing Line, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Army Boys on the Firing Line by Homer Randall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 8 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.
