Chapter 14 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop! Pop! Bang! The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once. A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
Chapter 14 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
strike violently
From this reading “Bang!”
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
wear out completely
From this reading “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
plural of “explosion” — a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
bulge outward
From this reading “WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop!”
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
From this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
possessive form of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
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 “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
In this reading “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
In this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
In this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
In this reading “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
movable artillery (other than antiaircraft) used by armies in the field (especially for direct support of front-line troops)
In this reading “The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.”
In this reading “A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.”
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 The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
strike violently
From this reading Bang!
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop!
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop!
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
wear out completely
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
plural of “explosion” — a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
the act of departing
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
only a very short time before
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
on one occasion
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
bulge outward
From this reading WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop!
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
possessive form of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A cloud of black smoke issued from the exhaust, and in a few seconds had enveloped the car so that it could hardly be seen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The "Red Scout's" motor gave a few preliminary explosions, and then started off with a sound like a whole battery of field guns going off at once.
in the company of; together with
From this reading WITH DEATH BEHIND Pop!
Chapter 14 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 14 holds 177 sentences of Bert Wilson at the Wheel, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 14 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 Bert Wilson at the Wheel by J. W. Duffield on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2509 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38560 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38560, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 209 minutes of reading across 502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bert Wilson at the Wheel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Bert Wilson at the Wheel 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 Bert Wilson at the Wheel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
