Chapter 12 of Fire Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Fire Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's frank," said Panton. "Well, it's the truth. I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort. It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to." "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
Chapter 12 of Fire Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading “It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."”
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading “I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “"That's frank," said Panton.”
a boy or man
From this reading “"Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."”
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading “"Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
one or the other of two
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "That's frank," said Panton.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, it's the truth.
a boy or man
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's frank," said Panton.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's frank," said Panton.
express in words
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
express a supposition
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's frank," said Panton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, it's the truth.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "Well, it's the truth.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It doesn't seem nice either to shoot at human beings, but I suppose we shall have to."
wanting in physical strength
From this reading I'm weak and done up, and I don't think I'm one of the fighting sort.
(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 "Well, it's the truth.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, it's their lives or ours, my lad; but as you say, it's not nice.
Chapter 12 of Fire Island by George Manville Fenn holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 12 holds 416 sentences of Fire Island, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Fire Island by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 12 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 Fire Island by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6733 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21307, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 561 minutes of reading across 1347 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fire Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Fire Island 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 Fire Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
