Chapter 1 of The Battery and the Boiler is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Battery and the Boiler is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. CHAPTER ONE. IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION. Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest. That boy was the hero of this tale.
Chapter 1 of The Battery and the Boiler is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading “THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
sealed vessel where water is converted to steam
From this reading “THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “CHAPTER ONE.”
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.”
a long loud emotional utterance
From this reading “Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.”
coming next after the eighteenth in position
From this reading “Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.”
characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense
From this reading “Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.”
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading “Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
sealed vessel where water is converted to steam
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
brought into existence
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
a youthful male person
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
a long loud emotional utterance
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
coming next after the eighteenth in position
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
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 That boy was the hero of this tale.
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That boy was the hero of this tale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTERY AND THE BOILER, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Somewhere about the middle of this nineteenth century, a baby boy was born on the raging sea in the midst of a howling tempest.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH THE HERO MAKES HIS FIRST FLASH AND EXPLOSION.
Chapter 1 of The Battery and the Boiler by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of The Battery and the Boiler, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Battery and the Boiler by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 The Battery and the Boiler by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4265 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21716 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21716, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 355 minutes of reading across 853 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Battery and the Boiler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Battery and the Boiler 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 Battery and the Boiler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
