Chapter 9 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft. "I hear footsteps." For perhaps half a minute he listened intently. He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction. But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.
Chapter 9 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
overtaken by night or darkness
From this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “"I hear footsteps."”
continually recurring to the mind
From this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
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 “For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.”
In this reading “He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.”
In this reading “But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.”
In this reading “"I hear footsteps."”
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 For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
overtaken by night or darkness
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading "I hear footsteps."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
continually recurring to the mind
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I hear footsteps."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hear footsteps."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.
not any; not one
From this reading But no; the footsteps came nearer and nearer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
by chance
From this reading For perhaps half a minute he listened intently.
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
not in physical motion
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETTY "THAT'S more hopeful," ejaculated Flight sub-lieutenant Barcroft.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
a pedestrian who walks from place to place
From this reading He was not mistaken in his surmise, but there was still the haunting doubt that the benighted wayfarer might be proceeding in a different direction.
Chapter 9 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 9 holds 116 sentences of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S., unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 9 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 Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5519 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35362, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 459 minutes of reading across 1104 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. 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 Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
