Chapter 14 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater." "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof. "I saw Betty Deringhame last night. I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure. "More fool you," grumbled his parent.
Chapter 14 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading “BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."”
ride at a canter
From this reading “I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.”
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “"More fool you," grumbled his parent.”
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “"More fool you," grumbled his parent.”
an informal use of the Latin word for father; sometimes used by British schoolboys or used facetiously
From this reading “BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."”
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
From this reading “I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.”
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading “I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.”
editing that involves writing something again
From this reading “"Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.”
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 “"I saw Betty Deringhame last night.”
In this reading “"Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.”
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 "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I saw Betty Deringhame last night.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."
ride at a canter
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I saw Betty Deringhame last night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "More fool you," grumbled his parent.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading "More fool you," grumbled his parent.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."
immediately past
From this reading "I saw Betty Deringhame last night.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "More fool you," grumbled his parent.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I saw Betty Deringhame last night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading "More fool you," grumbled his parent.
an informal use of the Latin word for father; sometimes used by British schoolboys or used facetiously
From this reading BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
editing that involves writing something again
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I saw Betty Deringhame last night.
express in words
From this reading BUTTERFLY "I SAY, pater."
express in words
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Eh?" ejaculated Peter Barcroft without looking up from his work, which happened to be revising a proof.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I forgot to tell you," began Billy as a "preliminary canter" to the recital of his raid-night adventure.
Chapter 14 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 286 sentences of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S., unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 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 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 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.
