Chapter 17 of Fighting in France is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Fighting in France is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth. Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby. The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them. For some moments they were too stunned to move. Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
Chapter 17 of Fighting in France is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
darkened by smoke
From this reading “The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.”
deprived of sight
From this reading “The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.”
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading “LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.”
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.”
close at hand
From this reading “Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.”
past form of “shower” — expend profusely; also used with abstract nouns
From this reading “Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “For some moments they were too stunned to move.”
very great or intense
From this reading “LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.”
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 LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
darkened by smoke
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
deprived of sight
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
plural of “log” — a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
close at hand
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
past form of “shower” — expend profusely; also used with abstract nouns
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
very great or intense
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIPPEN BREAKS A terrific explosion shook the earth.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Finally they recovered somewhat from the shock and rose to their feet.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For some moments they were too stunned to move.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dirt was mixed with logs and stones and showered everything nearby.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The deadly lyddite blackened the faces of the two young soldiers and half blinded them.
Chapter 17 of Fighting in France by Ross Kay holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 17 holds 116 sentences of Fighting in France, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Fighting in France by Ross Kay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 17 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 Fighting in France by Ross Kay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3321 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 276 minutes of reading across 665 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fighting in France section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Fighting in France 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 Fighting in France, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
