Chapter 4 of Dave Dawson with the Commandos is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Dave Dawson with the Commandos is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Apologize?" Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things. "For what? For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?" The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
Chapter 4 of Dave Dawson with the Commandos is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading “"Apologize?"”
possessive form of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"”
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.”
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"”
plural of “plane” — an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.”
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.”
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 “The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.”
In this reading “The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.”
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 For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading "Apologize?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
possessive form of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
at any time
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For what?
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
the act of grasping
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
plural of “plane” — an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading For knocking off a couple of Jerry planes, for cat's sake?"
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The senior officer looked sterner than ever; then the ghost of a smile quivered at the corners of his mouth.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dave gasped, as he seemed to lose his grip on things.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "For what?
Chapter 4 of Dave Dawson with the Commandos by Robert Sidney Bowen holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 4 holds 422 sentences of Dave Dawson with the Commandos, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Dave Dawson with the Commandos by Robert Sidney Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 4 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 Dave Dawson with the Commandos by Robert Sidney Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4180 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42250 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42250, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Dawson with the Commandos section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Dave Dawson with the Commandos 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 Dave Dawson with the Commandos, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
