Chapter 1 of The Battleship Boys at Sea is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Battleship Boys at Sea is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc. “That must be the place over there, Sam.” “Where?” “Just across the street on the next block. I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
Chapter 1 of The Battleship Boys at Sea is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
plural of “apprentice” — works for an expert to learn a trade
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
large and heavily armoured warship
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading ““Just across the street on the next block.”
an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
possessive form of “sam” — a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
directed up
From this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
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.
a local branch where postal services are available
In this reading “I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.””
In this reading ““Just across the street on the next block.”
at or in the front
In this reading “I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.””
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.””
In this reading ““Just across the street on the next block.”
the first of a series of actions
In this reading “Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
plural of “apprentice” — works for an expert to learn a trade
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
large and heavily armoured warship
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
and nothing more
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
above and across; more than
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
possessive form of “sam” — a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
cut with a saw
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “Just across the street on the next block.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “That must be the place over there, Sam.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
directed up
From this reading Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy Author of The Battleship Boys’ First Step Upward, The Pony Rider Boys Series, Etc.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I see something in front of the building that looks like the picture we saw in the post office at home.”
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where?”
Chapter 1 of The Battleship Boys at Sea by Frank Gee Patchin holds 317 sentences, grouped into 64 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 317 sentences of The Battleship Boys at Sea, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Battleship Boys at Sea by Frank Gee Patchin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 317 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 Battleship Boys at Sea by Frank Gee Patchin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 802 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Battleship Boys at Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Battleship Boys at Sea 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 Battleship Boys at Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
