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First in the Field
First in the Field

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of First in the Field is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for First in the Field
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."
"What!" cried the doctor angrily.
"Do you own that this accusation is true?"
"Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.
"He helped him to get away from the Wattles."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

First in the Field

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of First in the Field is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."
Line 2
"What!" cried the doctor angrily.
/wʌt kraɪd ðə ˈdɑːktər ˈæŋɡrəli/
Line 3
"Do you own that this accusation is true?"
/duː juː oʊn ðæt ðɪs ˌækjəˈzeɪʃən ɪz truː/
Line 4
"Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.
Line 5
"He helped him to get away from the Wattles."
/hiː helpt hɪm tuː ɡet əˈweɪ frʌm ðə ˈwɑːtəlz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

accusation noun US /ˌækjəˈzeɪʃən/

a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt

From this reading “"Do you own that this accusation is true?"”

angrily adverb US /ˈæŋɡrəli/

with anger

From this reading “"What!" cried the doctor angrily.”

Brookes noun US /brʊks/

plural of “brooke” — English lyric poet (1887-1915)

From this reading “"Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.”

clear verb US /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading “"Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."”

doctor noun US /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “"What!" cried the doctor angrily.”

firmly adverb US /ˈfɜːrmli/

with resolute determination

From this reading “"Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."”

helped verb US /helpt/

past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading “"He helped him to get away from the Wattles."”

Wattles noun US /ˈwɑːtəlz/

plural of “wattle” — a fleshy wrinkled and often brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat of certain birds (chickens and turkeys) or lizards

From this reading “"He helped him to get away from the Wattles."”

All words in this reading · 36

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.

accusationnounUS /ˌækjəˈzeɪʃən/

a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

angrilyadverbUS /ˈæŋɡrəli/

with anger

From this reading "What!" cried the doctor angrily.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

BrookesnounUS /brʊks/

plural of “brooke” — English lyric poet (1887-1915)

From this reading "Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "What!" cried the doctor angrily.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading "What!" cried the doctor angrily.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading "Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

firmlyadverbUS /ˈfɜːrmli/

with resolute determination

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

helpedverbUS /helpt/

past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

I'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Yes, it's true enough," cried Brookes.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

Nic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "What!" cried the doctor angrily.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

WattlesnounUS /ˈwɑːtəlz/

plural of “wattle” — a fleshy wrinkled and often brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat of certain birds (chickens and turkeys) or lizards

From this reading "He helped him to get away from the Wattles."

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What!" cried the doctor angrily.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, father, I'll speak," said Nic firmly; "but I can't clear myself."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Do you own that this accusation is true?"

Chapter 17 of First in the Field by George Manville Fenn holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

What does chapter 17 of First in the Field contain?

Chapter 17 holds 396 sentences of First in the Field, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of First in the Field by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of First in the Field?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading First in the Field

Common questions about reading First in the Field by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of First in the Field?

Yes. All 6839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of First in the Field is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #21308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does First in the Field take to read?

About 569 minutes of reading across 1368 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in First in the Field

Words and structures a reader meets early in First in the Field, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First in the Field; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Field
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First in the Field; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First in the Field; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Manville
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First in the Field; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.