Chapter 2 of Burton of the Flying Corps is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Burton of the Flying Corps is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort. "You speak English well, sir." "Zank you, yes. I have practised a lot. I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
Chapter 2 of Burton of the Flying Corps is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 “I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."”
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “"Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “"Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “"You speak English well, sir."”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “I have practised a lot.”
skillful after much practice
From this reading “I have practised a lot.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."”
a tax levied on the difference between a commodity's price before taxes and its cost of production
From this reading “I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."”
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.
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 I have practised a lot.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading "You speak English well, sir."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have practised a lot.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have practised a lot.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading I have practised a lot.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
skillful after much practice
From this reading I have practised a lot.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
term of address for a man
From this reading "You speak English well, sir."
express in speech
From this reading "You speak English well, sir."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
a tax levied on the difference between a commodity's price before taxes and its cost of production
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "You speak English well, sir."
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You speak English well, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Zank you, yes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ask questions--yes, and ven zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite understand all about it."
Chapter 2 of Burton of the Flying Corps by Herbert Strang holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 2 holds 426 sentences of Burton of the Flying Corps, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Burton of the Flying Corps by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 2 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 Burton of the Flying Corps by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3916 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 326 minutes of reading across 784 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Burton of the Flying Corps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Burton of the Flying Corps 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 Burton of the Flying Corps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
