Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes! Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain. He had seen the boy's body shoot outward. "No, he's struck something. He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.”
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading “IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!”
a person responsible for the administration of a business
From this reading “He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.”
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading “He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.”
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading “He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.”
a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
From this reading “IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!”
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.
the officer second in command
In this reading “He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.”
deserving regret
In this reading “Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.”
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 IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
a person responsible for the administration of a business
From this reading He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, he's struck something.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
not any; not one
From this reading "No, he's struck something.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading He had seen the boy's body shoot outward.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "No, he's struck something.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading He's caught a stay," cried the executive officer.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "No, he's struck something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
in or at that place or location
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the captain.
a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
From this reading IN THE COILS OF A "TWISTER" "There he goes!
Chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service by Frank Gee Patchin holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 163 sentences of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service by Frank Gee Patchin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 in Foreign Service by Frank Gee Patchin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42940 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42940, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 689 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service 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 in Foreign Service, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
