Chapter 35 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXV
Chapter 35 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly. The appalling event had completely unnerved him. He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment. "An accident. His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
Chapter 35 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.”
an experience that appalls
From this reading “The appalling event had completely unnerved him.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
From this reading “ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “The appalling event had completely unnerved him.”
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading “His gun burst, goodness only knows why.”
suitable or at a time that is suitable or advantageous especially for a particular purpose
From this reading “He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.”
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.”
deprived of courage and strength
From this reading “The appalling event had completely unnerved him.”
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 “He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.”
In this reading “He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.”
In this reading “His gun burst, goodness only knows why.”
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 He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
an experience that appalls
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
in a confused manner
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
only a very short time before
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
a particular point in time
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
and nothing more
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
suitable or at a time that is suitable or advantageous especially for a particular purpose
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading ONE CARTRIDGE LEFT "AN accident," declared Peter confusedly.
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
a male human offspring
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
deprived of courage and strength
From this reading The appalling event had completely unnerved him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He hardly seemed to realise that his son had turned up at a most opportune moment.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading His gun burst, goodness only knows why.
Chapter 35 of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 holds 171 sentences of Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S., unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 35 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 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 35 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.
