The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve

Chapter V · A Scout Ambulance

Chapter V of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve, “A Scout Ambulance,” is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Shaler • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

“There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

“And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

“Yes, the poor fellow must have fallen over here, and been hurt so badly that he wasn’t able to get up again,” Hugh announced, and then crawling forward to the verge of the precipice he took an observation.

“See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter V Reading 1/19

The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve

Chapter V · A Scout Ambulance

Chapter V of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve, “A Scout Ambulance,” is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

/ɔːl ʌv ðem ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ ðer ˈlɪsənd ˈiːɡərli/

Line 2

“There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

/ðer ɪt kʌmz əˈɡen ɪkˈskleɪmd ˈɑːrθər ɪkˈsaɪtədli/

Line 3

“And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

/ənd ɪt ɪz ə ɡroʊn æz ʃʊr æz ˈeniθɪŋ ˈædəd ˈbɪli/

Line 4

Line 5

“See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.

Learner Dictionary

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.

crawling noun US /ˈkrɔːlɪŋ/

a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

From this reading ““Yes, the poor fellow must have fallen over here, and been hurt so badly that he wasn’t able to get up again,” Hugh announced, and then crawling forward to the verge of the precipice he took an observation.”

crouching verb US /ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ/

-ing form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading “All of them crouching there listened eagerly.”

excitedly adverb US /ɪkˈsaɪtədli/

with excitement; in an excited manner

From this reading ““There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.”

groan noun US /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading ““And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.”

observation noun US /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃən/

the act of making and recording a measurement

precipice noun US /ˈpresəpəs/

a very steep cliff

questioned verb US /ˈkwestʃənd/

past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading ““See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.”

verge noun US /vɜːrdʒ/

a region marking a boundary

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

poor fellow adjective + noun

In this reading ““Yes, the poor fellow must have fallen over here, and been hurt so badly that he wasn’t able to get up again,” Hugh announced, and then crawling forward to the verge of the precipice he took an observation.”

listened eagerly verb + particle counted as “listen eagerly”

In this reading “All of them crouching there listened eagerly.”

get up verb + adjective

rise to one's feet

comes again verb + particle counted as “come again”

In this reading ““There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

ableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading “Yes, the poor fellow must have fallen over here, and been hurt so badly that he wasn’t able to get up again,” Hugh announced, and then crawling forward to the verge of the precipice he took an observation.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

announcedadjectiveUS /əˈnaʊnst/

declared publicly; made widely known

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

ArthurnounUS /ˈɑːrθər/

elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

badlyadverbUS /ˈbædli/

to a severe or serious degree

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

BillynounUS /ˈbɪli/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

comesnounUS /kʌmz/

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

crawlingnounUS /ˈkrɔːlɪŋ/

a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

crouchingverbUS /ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ/

-ing form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

eagerlyadverbUS /ˈiːɡərli/

with eagerness; in an eager manner

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

excitedlyadverbUS /ɪkˈsaɪtədli/

with excitement; in an excited manner

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

groannounUS /ɡroʊn/

an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.

Hugh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

hurtverbUS /hɜːrt/

be the source of pain

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “There it comes again!” exclaimed Arthur, excitedly.

listenedverbUS /ˈlɪsənd/

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

observationnounUS /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃən/

the act of making and recording a measurement

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

precipicenounUS /ˈpresəpəs/

a very steep cliff

questionedverbUS /ˈkwestʃənd/

past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading “See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.

SeeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “See him, Hugh?” questioned Billy.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading “And it is a groan as sure as anything!” added Billy.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading All of them crouching there listened eagerly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

vergenounUS /vɜːrdʒ/

a region marking a boundary

wasn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

Chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve by Robert Shaler holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve contain?

Chapter 5 holds 98 sentences of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve by Robert Shaler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

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Yes. All 1151 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #48410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 95 minutes of reading across 231 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scouts: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Signal: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corps: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter V · A Scout Ambulance

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