Chapter 28 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE." Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act. "Strange," said the captain at last. "There seems to be no big wave this time." "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
Chapter 28 of Blown to Bits is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.”
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading “Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “"That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE."”
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading “Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.”
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “"There seems to be no big wave this time."”
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 Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Strange," said the captain at last.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
immediately past
From this reading "Strange," said the captain at last.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
not any; not one
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
and nothing more
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Strange," said the captain at last.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "Strange," said the captain at last.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
the rays of the sun
From this reading THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FATE OF THE "SUNSHINE."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading Stunned at first, for a few minutes, by the extreme violence of the explosion, no one on board the _Sunshine_ spoke, though each man stood at his post ready to act.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading "There seems to be no big wave this time."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "That only shows that we are not as near the island as we thought.
Chapter 28 of Blown to Bits by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 28 holds 73 sentences of Blown to Bits, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Blown to Bits by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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.
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