Chapter 2 of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady. When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself. Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them. Barry was a born flier. Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
Chapter 2 of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading “Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.”
compartment where the pilot sits while flying the aircraft
From this reading “When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.”
someone who travels by air
From this reading “Barry was a born flier.”
made the first orbital rocket-powered flight by a United States astronaut in 1962; later in United States Senate (1921-)
From this reading “Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.”
extreme nervousness
From this reading “Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.”
past form of “vow” — make a vow; promise
From this reading “Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.”
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.
In this reading “When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.”
on everybody's mind
In this reading “Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.”
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 When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
brought into existence
From this reading Barry was a born flier.
compartment where the pilot sits while flying the aircraft
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
someone who travels by air
From this reading Barry was a born flier.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
made the first orbital rocket-powered flight by a United States astronaut in 1962; later in United States Senate (1921-)
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
the act of grasping
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
extreme nervousness
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
not one, and not any
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
on one occasion
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
make steady
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
a just detectable amount
From this reading Once in the air, he lost every trace of jitters.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
past form of “vow” — make a vow; promise
From this reading Glenn Crayle, he vowed, should not have the laugh on two of them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Barry Blake was so upset about his friend that his own nerves were none too steady.
at the time that
From this reading When he stepped into the cockpit, however, he took a firm grip on himself.
Chapter 2 of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress by Gaylord Du Bois holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 2 holds 431 sentences of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress by Gaylord Du Bois exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 2 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 Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress by Gaylord Du Bois on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47696 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47696, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 354 minutes of reading across 851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress 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 Barry Blake of the Flying Fortress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
