In the Firing Line

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of In the Firing Line is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur St. John Adcock • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for In the Firing Line

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

The reasons for using extra spacing between some paragraphs were unclear to the Transcriber, so they were just replicated the same way in this eBook, and do not necessarily mean what they do in other eBooks.

Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/81

In the Firing Line

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of In the Firing Line is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

Line 3

GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

/ɡreɪt ˈbætəlz ʌv ðə wɜːrld baɪ ˈstiːvən kreɪn ˈɔːθər ʌv ðə red bædʒ ʌv ˈkɜːrədʒ/

Line 4

BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

Line 5

FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

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.

Badge noun US /bædʒ/

an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.)

From this reading “GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.””

crane verb US /kreɪn/

stretch (the neck) so as to see better

From this reading “GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.””

paragraphs noun US /ˈpærəɡræfs/

plural of “paragraph” — one of several distinct subdivisions of a text intended to separate ideas; the beginning is usually marked by a new indented line

From this reading “The reasons for using extra spacing between some paragraphs were unclear to the Transcriber, so they were just replicated the same way in this eBook, and do not necessarily mean what they do in other eBooks.”

regiments noun US /ˈredʒəmənts/

plural of “regiment” — army unit smaller than a division

From this reading “BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.”

replicated verb US /ˈreplɪkeɪtɪd/

past form of “replicate” — bend or turn backward

spacing noun US /ˈspeɪsɪŋ/

the time between occurrences of a repeating event

Transcriber noun US /trænˈskraɪbər/

a person who translates written messages from one language to another

unclear adjective US /ənˈklɪr/

poorly stated or described

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

FORTY YEARS adjective + noun

In this reading “FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.”

at the end preposition + article + noun counted as “at … end”

In this reading “Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.”

same way adjective + noun

In this reading “The reasons for using extra spacing between some paragraphs were unclear to the Transcriber, so they were just replicated the same way in this eBook, and do not necessarily mean what they do in other eBooks.”

GREAT BATTLES adjective + noun counted as “great battle”

In this reading “GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.””

All words in this reading · 59

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.

AFTERprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The reasons for using extra spacing between some paragraphs were unclear to the Transcriber, so they were just replicated the same way in this eBook, and do not necessarily mean what they do in other eBooks.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

BadgenounUS /bædʒ/

an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.)

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

BattlenounUS /ˈbætəl/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

BATTLESnounUS /ˈbætəlz/

plural of “battle” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

BRITISHnounUS /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/

the people of Great Britain

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

CouragenounUS /ˈkɜːrədʒ/

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

CRANEverbUS /kreɪn/

stretch (the neck) so as to see better

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

eBook

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

eBooks

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

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

extraadjectiveUS /ˈekstrə/

more than is needed, desired, or required

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

FORTYadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/

being ten more than thirty

From this reading FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

Franco-German

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

From this reading FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

FRONTnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

GREATadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

Honoursnoun

a university degree with honors

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

necessarilyadverbUS /ˌnesəˈserəli/

in an essential manner

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

NotesnounUS /noʊts/

plural of “note” — a brief written record

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

paragraphsnounUS /ˈpærəɡræfs/

plural of “paragraph” — one of several distinct subdivisions of a text intended to separate ideas; the beginning is usually marked by a new indented line

reasonsnounUS /ˈriːzənz/

plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action

RednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

REGIMENTSnounUS /ˈredʒəmənts/

plural of “regiment” — army unit smaller than a division

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

replicatedverbUS /ˈreplɪkeɪtɪd/

past form of “replicate” — bend or turn backward

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

spacingnounUS /ˈspeɪsɪŋ/

the time between occurrences of a repeating event

STEPHENnounUS /ˈstiːvən/

English writer (1832-1904)

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT The story of their Battle Honours.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

TranscribernounUS /trænˈskraɪbər/

a person who translates written messages from one language to another

unclearadjectiveUS /ənˈklɪr/

poorly stated or described

usingnounUS /ˈjuːzɪŋ/

an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)

WarnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Other Notes will be found at the end of this eBook.

WORLDnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD By STEPHEN CRANE Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.”

YEARSnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading FORTY YEARS AFTER The Story of the Franco-German War.

Chapter 1 of In the Firing Line by Arthur St. John Adcock holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 1 of In the Firing Line contain?

Chapter 1 holds 406 sentences of In the Firing Line, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of In the Firing Line by Arthur St. John Adcock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 1 of In the Firing Line?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 In the Firing Line

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Is this the complete text of In the Firing Line?

Yes. All 2060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53151 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of In the Firing Line is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53151, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does In the Firing Line take to read?

About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in In the Firing Line

Words and structures a reader meets early in In the Firing Line, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reasons: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Firing Line; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Using: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Firing Line; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Extra: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Firing Line; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spacing: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In the Firing Line; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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