Chapter 14 of The Air Patrol is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Air Patrol is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down. "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence. The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done. I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief." "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
Chapter 14 of The Air Patrol is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
alternative names for the body of a human being
From this reading “The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.”
the occurrence of a change for the worse
From this reading “The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.”
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading “"The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.”
enclose with a fence
From this reading “"The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “"The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.”
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.”
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading “"The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.”
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading “The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.”
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.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “"The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.”
a familiar term of address for a man
In this reading “"It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.”
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 "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
a youthful male person
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
alternative names for the body of a human being
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
the occurrence of a change for the worse
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
enclose with a fence
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
of great significance or value
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
and nothing more
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
not any; not one
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
on the contrary
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading The chassis is rather rumpled, but no other damage done.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The engine failed; I missed the platform, and came down on the fence.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading "Just managed it!" he panted, throwing himself down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading I should have been wild if the machine had come utterly to grief."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s more important that you’re safe, old boy," said Bob.
Chapter 14 of The Air Patrol by Herbert Strang holds 407 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.
Chapter 14 holds 407 sentences of The Air Patrol, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Air Patrol by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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 The Air Patrol by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42417 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42417, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 487 minutes of reading across 1169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Air Patrol section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Air Patrol 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 The Air Patrol, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
