Chapter 1 of Aviation Book is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Aviation Book is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums. They are Boy Scouts. Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot. Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too. Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
Chapter 1 of Aviation Book is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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 “airship” — a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading “Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.”
someone who operates an aircraft
From this reading “Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.”
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.”
plural of “chum” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading “Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.”
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “They are Boy Scouts.”
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.
the highest rank in a classification
In this reading “Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.”
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 Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
plural of “airship” — a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
someone who operates an aircraft
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
a youthful male person
From this reading They are Boy Scouts.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
plural of “chum” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
moving swiftly
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
a small worthless amount
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
and nothing more
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading They are Boy Scouts.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
an inexperienced person (especially someone inexperienced in outdoor living)
From this reading Jack is first class, but Tom is only a tenderfoot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are Boy Scouts.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
male cat
From this reading See https:// Tom and Jack are brothers and chums.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Tom and Jack’s uncle is a famous aviator, and he knows all about flying.
at the time that
From this reading Like all bright, manly boys they are interested in airships and are anxious for the time to come when they can fly too.
Chapter 1 of Aviation Book by Haywood Leslie Davis holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 280 sentences of Aviation Book, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Aviation Book by Haywood Leslie Davis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Aviation Book by Haywood Leslie Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 280 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62472 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62472, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 23 minutes of reading across 56 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aviation Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Aviation Book 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 Aviation Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
