Chapter 32 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft. "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase. I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits. Care to come along?" "Delighted," replied the spy.
Chapter 32 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
past form of “avert” — prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
From this reading “AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.”
of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true and both cannot be false
From this reading “"Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.”
greatly pleased
From this reading “"Delighted," replied the spy.”
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “"Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.”
plural of “rabbit” — any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.”
catch sight of
From this reading “"Delighted," replied the spy.”
someone who visits
From this reading “AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.”
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 “"Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.”
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “Care to come along?"”
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 "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Care to come along?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
past form of “avert” — prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Care to come along?"
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Care to come along?"
of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true and both cannot be false
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
greatly pleased
From this reading "Delighted," replied the spy.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
set up or found
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
and nothing more
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
plural of “rabbit” — any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Delighted," replied the spy.
catch sight of
From this reading "Delighted," replied the spy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
the act of using
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
someone who visits
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I'm just off for a morning with the rabbits.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Five minutes later and you would have found me out--to use a contradictory phrase.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AN AVERTED CATASTROPHE "MORNING, Norton; you are an early visitor," exclaimed Peter Barcroft.
Chapter 32 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 32 holds 112 sentences of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S., unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 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 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 32 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.
