Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fraser! Colonel Fraser! The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away. His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man. "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. is here in full — 427 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.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Colonel Fraser!”
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
make reference to
From this reading “The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.”
a message informing of danger
From this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
In this reading “"I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.”
In this reading “His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.”
In this reading “The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.”
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 His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Colonel Fraser!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fraser!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
immediately past
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
make reference to
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I have never heard of that boat," Dave said.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
a message informing of danger
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading The mention of that name wiped the last of Dave's fears away.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His eyes widened with joy, and he started to open his mouth, but a sudden fierce warning look leaped into the eyes of the old man.
Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. by Robert Sidney Bowen holds 427 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 8 holds 427 sentences of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F., unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. by Robert Sidney Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 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 8 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 R.A.F. by Robert Sidney Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3766 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41715, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 754 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Dave Dawson with the R.A.F. 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 R.A.F., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
