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The Air Pirate
The Air Pirate

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Air Pirate is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Air Pirate
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.
I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.
An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."
Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?
I could not hear a sound of any kind.
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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.

The Air Pirate

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Air Pirate is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.
Line 2
I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.
/aɪ leɪ daʊn ɪn ðə hiːθ ˈsɜːrtən ðæt aɪ wɑːz kwaɪt ˌɪnˈvɪzəbəl ənd ˈweɪtɪd/
Line 3
An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."
/æn ˈaʊər hæd ˈhɑːrdli ɪˈlæpst sɪns ðə bænd hæd left ðə ˈmaɪnərz ɑːrmz/
Line 4
Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?
/wɜːr ðeɪ stɪl hiːr ɔːr hæd ðeɪ set aʊt fɔːr ðer ənˈnoʊn ˌdestəˈneɪʃən/
Line 5
I could not hear a sound of any kind.
/aɪ kʊd nɑːt hiːr ə saʊnd ʌv ˈeni kaɪnd/

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.

destination noun US /ˌdestəˈneɪʃən/

the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)

From this reading “Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?”

elapsed adjective US /ɪˈlæpst/

(of time) having passed or slipped by

From this reading “An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."”

fences noun US /ˈfensəz/

plural of “fence” — a barrier that serves to enclose an area

From this reading “THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.”

heath noun US /hiːθ/

a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers

From this reading “I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.”

killing noun US /ˈkɪlɪŋ/

an event that causes someone to die

From this reading “THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.”

Miners noun US /ˈmaɪnərz/

plural of “miner” — laborer who works in a mine

From this reading “An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."”

moor verb US /mʊr/

secure in or as if in a berth or dock

From this reading “THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.”

spectral adjective US /ˈspektrəl/

of or relating to a spectrum

From this reading “THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.”

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.

lay down verb + adjective

institute, enact, or establish

In this reading “I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.”

set out verb + adjective

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

In this reading “Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?”

hear a sound verb + article + noun counted as “hear … sound”

In this reading “I could not hear a sound of any kind.”

quite invisible adverb + adjective

In this reading “I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.”

last quarter adjective + noun

the last fourth of the Moon's period of revolution around the Earth

In this reading “THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

ArmsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

bandnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

barbed-wire

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

destinationnounUS /ˌdestəˈneɪʃən/

the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

elapsedadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæpst/

(of time) having passed or slipped by

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

FEDDON

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

fencesnounUS /ˈfensəz/

plural of “fence” — a barrier that serves to enclose an area

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

heathnounUS /hiːθ/

a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

invisibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɪzəbəl/

impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

KILLINGnounUS /ˈkɪlɪŋ/

an event that causes someone to die

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

MICHAELnounUS /ˈmaɪkəl/

(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

MinersnounUS /ˈmaɪnərz/

plural of “miner” — laborer who works in a mine

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

moonnounUS /muːn/

the natural satellite of the Earth

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

moorverbUS /mʊr/

secure in or as if in a berth or dock

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

quarternounUS /ˈkwɔːrtər/

one of four equal parts

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

shedverbUS /ʃed/

get rid of

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading An hour had hardly elapsed since the band had left "The Miners' Arms."

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading I could not hear a sound of any kind.

spectraladjectiveUS /ˈspektrəl/

of or relating to a spectrum

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

surroundedadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪd/

confined on all sides

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

Tregeraint

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

unknownadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊn/

not known

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading I lay down in the heath, certain that I was quite invisible, and waited.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE KILLING OF MICHAEL FEDDON The moon was in its last quarter, and shed a faint spectral light over the moor as I came quietly up to the first of the barbed-wire fences that surrounded Tregeraint.

Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Were they still here, or had they set out for their unknown destination?

Chapter 12 of The Air Pirate by Guy Thorne holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 12 of The Air Pirate contain?

Chapter 12 holds 156 sentences of The Air Pirate, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Air Pirate by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 12 of The Air Pirate?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 12 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Air Pirate

Common questions about reading The Air Pirate by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Air Pirate?

Yes. All 4421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Air Pirate is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40361, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Air Pirate take to read?

About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Air Pirate section by section

How to work through The Air Pirate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Air Pirate to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Air Pirate

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Air Pirate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Ranger
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Air Pirate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Air Pirate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lilac
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Air Pirate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Snare
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Air Pirate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.