Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part." "I--I beg your pardon, sir. I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us. I am very sorry, sir." "You need not be, my lad.
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"I--I beg your pardon, sir.”
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading “OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."”
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading “OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."”
a boy or man
From this reading “"You need not be, my lad.”
-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."”
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"I--I beg your pardon, sir.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."”
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.
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 OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am very sorry, sir."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You need not be, my lad.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "I--I beg your pardon, sir.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I--I beg your pardon, sir.
a boy or man
From this reading "You need not be, my lad.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "You need not be, my lad.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
-ing form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
accept an excuse for
From this reading "I--I beg your pardon, sir.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
term of address for a man
From this reading "I--I beg your pardon, sir.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading I am very sorry, sir."
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
the quality of failing to be considerate of others
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I did not think how far my thoughtlessness might carry us.
precisely as stated
From this reading I am very sorry, sir."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You need not be, my lad.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading OBEYING HIS ORDERS "Davis, that was a stroke of genius on your part."
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward by Frank Gee Patchin holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 12 holds 104 sentences of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward by Frank Gee Patchin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward by Frank Gee Patchin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3908 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32886 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32886, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward 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' First Step Upward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
