Chapter 16 of Ben Hardy's flying machine is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Ben Hardy's flying machine is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.” Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled. Ben spoke up. “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?” “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
Chapter 16 of Ben Hardy's flying machine is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.”
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
plural of “invention” — the creation of something in the mind
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
take without the owner's consent
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading “STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.””
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 “Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.”
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 Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben spoke up.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
plural of “invention” — the creation of something in the mind
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?”
recurring again and again
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Ben spoke up.
take without the owner's consent
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
express in words
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How can they do that, Mr. Pearsons?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading Mr. Hardy sank on a chair looking blank and troubled.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ben spoke up.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
an affirmative
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I’ll tell my story, and you will see,” replied the lawyer.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading STEALING AN INVENTION “Yes,” repeated the lawyer, “that Saxton crowd is aiming to steal your airship inventions.”
Chapter 16 of Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 16 holds 94 sentences of Ben Hardy's flying machine, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 16 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 Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3258 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 271 minutes of reading across 652 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ben Hardy's flying machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Ben Hardy's flying machine 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 Ben Hardy's flying machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
