Chapter 14 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea. Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen. Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up. "They're trying to find us. They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
Chapter 14 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
projectiles to be fired from a gun
From this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading “They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
emitting or filled with bubbles as from carbonation or fermentation
From this reading “Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.”
raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
From this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
to extremes
From this reading “They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.”
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.”
In this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
In this reading “DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.”
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 Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
projectiles to be fired from a gun
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "They're trying to find us.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
emitting or filled with bubbles as from carbonation or fermentation
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
above and across; more than
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
to extremes
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
select carefully from a group
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They're trying to find us.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading DOWN THE AMMUNITION HOIST The searchlights flashed out over the troubled sea.
hard to endure
From this reading "They're trying to find us.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "They're trying to find us.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Nothing but water--angry, foaming water--could be seen.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading They think we have gone overboard," muttered Dan Davis.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not a sign that looked as if it might be a man were they able to pick up.
Chapter 14 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service by Frank Gee Patchin holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 14 holds 198 sentences of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service by Frank Gee Patchin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 14 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.
