Chapter 26 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DIAMONDS VS. FREEDOM. “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly. “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here? Can you tell me that?”
Chapter 26 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
a regional term for “creature” (especially for domestic animals)
From this reading ““What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?”
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “DIAMONDS VS.”
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading “FREEDOM.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading ““If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.”
in an indignant manner
From this reading ““If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.”
a never-ending cycle of activities and events (especially when they seem to have little purpose)
From this reading ““What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?”
inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work
From this reading ““What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?”
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading ““If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading ““If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.”
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 “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you tell me that?”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
a regional term for “creature” (especially for domestic animals)
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading DIAMONDS VS.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading FREEDOM.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
in an indignant manner
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Can you tell me that?”
a never-ending cycle of activities and events (especially when they seem to have little purpose)
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
on the contrary
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
express in words
From this reading Can you tell me that?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DIAMONDS VS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
at the time that
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What good does that critter with the merry-go-round name do us, when we’re penned up in here?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If you could show us a picture of how to get out of here, I’d a heap rather see it,” snorted the captain indignantly.
Chapter 26 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship by Richard Bonner holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 26 holds 106 sentences of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Boy Inventors' Flying Ship by Richard Bonner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 26 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.
