Chapter 1 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Norma Kent stirred uneasily. Her army cot creaked. “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly. “You’ll keep the other girls awake.” Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
Chapter 1 of Norma Kent of the WACS is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading ““You’ll keep the other girls awake.””
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading “Her army cot creaked.”
past form of “creak” — make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading “Her army cot creaked.”
a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading “Norma Kent stirred uneasily.”
a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Lupus and Ara in the Milky Way
From this reading “Norma Kent stirred uneasily.”
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading ““You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “Norma Kent stirred uneasily.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “Norma Kent stirred uneasily.”
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.
In this reading ““You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.”
In this reading ““You’ll keep the other girls awake.””
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.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading Her army cot creaked.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “You’ll keep the other girls awake.”
a sheath worn to protect a finger
From this reading Her army cot creaked.
past form of “creak” — make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading Her army cot creaked.
divisible by two
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
a young female
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “You’ll keep the other girls awake.”
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her army cot creaked.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “You’ll keep the other girls awake.”
a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans
From this reading Norma Kent stirred uneasily.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Lupus and Ara in the Milky Way
From this reading Norma Kent stirred uneasily.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “You’ll keep the other girls awake.”
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
not in physical motion
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Norma Kent stirred uneasily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You’ll keep the other girls awake.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading Norma Kent stirred uneasily.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Even as she thought this, the girl on the cot next to her own half rose to whisper:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll have to lie still,” she told herself sternly.
Chapter 1 of Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 holds 111 sentences of Norma Kent of the WACS, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 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.
Common questions about reading Norma Kent of the WACS by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48599, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1019 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Norma Kent of the WACS section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Norma Kent of the WACS 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 Norma Kent of the WACS, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
