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Ben Hardy's flying machine
Ben Hardy's flying machine

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Ben Hardy's flying machine
Context Illustration Reading 1/71 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.
Ben approached him and pointed to the island.
I want to go there,” he said.
The guide professed great concern and terror.
He was genuinely frightened.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
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Ben Hardy's flying machine

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.
/ˈhoʊmwərd baʊnd ben ˈbekənd tuː ðə ˈɪndiən bʌt ðə ˈlætər rəˈfjuːzd tuː kʌm bɪˈɑːnd ðə prəˈtektɪŋ frɪndʒ ʌv ˈbʊʃəz/
Line 2
Ben approached him and pointed to the island.
/ben əˈproʊtʃt hɪm ənd ˈpɔɪntɪd tuː ðə ˈaɪlənd/
Line 3
I want to go there,” he said.
/aɪ wɑːnt tuː ɡoʊ ðer hiː sed/
Line 4
The guide professed great concern and terror.
/ðə ɡaɪd prəˈfest ɡreɪt kənˈsɜːrn ənd ˈterər/
Line 5
He was genuinely frightened.
/hiː wɑːz ˈdʒenjəwənli ˈfraɪtənd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

beckoned verb US /ˈbekənd/

past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod

From this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

bushes noun US /ˈbʊʃəz/

plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

From this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

concern noun US /kənˈsɜːrn/

something that interests you because it is important or affects you

From this reading “The guide professed great concern and terror.”

fringe noun US /frɪndʒ/

the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

genuinely adverb US /ˈdʒenjəwənli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading “He was genuinely frightened.”

homeward adverb US /ˈhoʊmwərd/

toward home

From this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

professed adjective US /prəˈfest/

professing to be qualified

From this reading “The guide professed great concern and terror.”

protecting adjective US /prəˈtektɪŋ/

shielding (or designed to shield) against harm or discomfort

From this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

HOMEWARD BOUND adverb + adjective

In this reading “HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.”

All words in this reading · 35

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Ben approached him and pointed to the island.

approachedverbUS /əˈproʊtʃt/

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading Ben approached him and pointed to the island.

beckonedverbUS /ˈbekənd/

past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

BennounUS /ben/

a mountain or tall hill

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

BOUNDadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

bushesnounUS /ˈbʊʃəz/

plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

concernnounUS /kənˈsɜːrn/

something that interests you because it is important or affects you

From this reading The guide professed great concern and terror.

frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading He was genuinely frightened.

fringenounUS /frɪndʒ/

the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

genuinelyadverbUS /ˈdʒenjəwənli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading He was genuinely frightened.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The guide professed great concern and terror.

guidenounUS /ɡaɪd/

someone employed to conduct others

From this reading The guide professed great concern and terror.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Ben approached him and pointed to the island.

HOMEWARDadverbUS /ˈhoʊmwərd/

toward home

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

IndianadjectiveUS /ˈɪndiən/

of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

islandnounUS /ˈaɪlənd/

a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

From this reading Ben approached him and pointed to the island.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading Ben approached him and pointed to the island.

professedadjectiveUS /prəˈfest/

professing to be qualified

From this reading The guide professed great concern and terror.

protectingadjectiveUS /prəˈtektɪŋ/

shielding (or designed to shield) against harm or discomfort

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

refusedverbUS /rəˈfjuːzd/

past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

terrornounUS /ˈterər/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading The guide professed great concern and terror.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading HOMEWARD BOUND Ben beckoned to the Indian, but the latter refused to come beyond the protecting fringe of bushes.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading “I want to go there,” he said.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was genuinely frightened.

Chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster holds 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

What does chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine contain?

Chapter 24 holds 355 sentences of Ben Hardy's flying machine, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

How do I study chapter 24 of Ben Hardy's flying machine?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

Can chapter 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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.

Questions about reading Ben Hardy's flying machine

Common questions about reading Ben Hardy's flying machine by Frank V. Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Ben Hardy's flying machine?

Yes. All 3258 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ben Hardy's flying machine is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #69511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Ben Hardy's flying machine take to read?

About 271 minutes of reading across 652 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Ben Hardy's flying machine section by section

How to work through Ben Hardy's flying machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Ben Hardy's flying machine to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Ben Hardy's flying machine

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ben Hardy's flying machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Italic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ben Hardy's flying machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Displayed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ben Hardy's flying machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ben Hardy's flying machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Airship
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ben Hardy's flying machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.