Chapter 21 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MARCHING ANTS. As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary. “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom. “Suits me first rate,” was the response. “Come on.”
Chapter 21 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 101 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.
an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer
From this reading “As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.”
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading “THE MARCHING ANTS.”
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading “As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.”
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading “As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.”
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading “THE MARCHING ANTS.”
a result
From this reading ““Suits me first rate,” was the response.”
-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading ““What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.”
plural of “suit” — a set of garments (usually including a jacket and trousers or skirt) for outerwear all of the same fabric and color
From this reading ““Suits me first rate,” was the response.”
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 ““Suits me first rate,” was the response.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading ““Come on.””
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 “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading THE MARCHING ANTS.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come on.”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
someone who is a detective
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
a small worthless amount
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading THE MARCHING ANTS.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Suits me first rate,” was the response.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Come on.”
a judge of a probate court
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
in other respects or ways
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “Suits me first rate,” was the response.
a result
From this reading “Suits me first rate,” was the response.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
plural of “suit” — a set of garments (usually including a jacket and trousers or skirt) for outerwear all of the same fabric and color
From this reading “Suits me first rate,” was the response.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MARCHING ANTS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
male cat
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s the matter with our strolling off and seeing if we can’t get a shot at something?” suggested Jack to Tom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As usual, Captain Sprowl was the cook, with Dick as first aide, otherwise deputy assistant and bottle-washer in ordinary.
Chapter 21 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship by Richard Bonner holds 101 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 21 holds 101 sentences of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship by Richard Bonner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 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 21 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 Boy Inventors' Flying Ship by Richard Bonner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2943 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 245 minutes of reading across 589 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship 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 Boy Inventors' Flying Ship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
