Chapter 13 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!" "Stand by the falls. Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck. "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas. "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
Chapter 13 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading “THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"”
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading “Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.”
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading “"Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “"Stand by the falls.”
to extremes
From this reading “THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"”
plural of “pajama” — a pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist; worn by men and women in some Asian countries
From this reading “"What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading “THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.”
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.
In this reading “"Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.”
not act or do anything
In this reading “"Stand by the falls.”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Stand by the falls.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading "Stand by the falls.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
the act of departing
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
the force of workers available
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
to extremes
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
plural of “pajama” — a pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist; worn by men and women in some Asian countries
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
transport commercially
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
be standing; be upright
From this reading "Stand by the falls.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTLE OF THE DINGHIES "Man overboard, off the port boom!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Two men leaving ship in the port dinghy, sir," answered the officer of the deck.
a long narrow boat designed for quick turning and use in rough seas
From this reading Whaleboat number one!" cried the officer of the deck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's this, what's this?" shouted the captain, running to the deck in his pajamas.
Chapter 13 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward by Frank Gee Patchin holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 13 holds 185 sentences of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward by Frank Gee Patchin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 13 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.
