Chapter 1 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc. Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings." "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear. They see the things I see." KIPLING.
Chapter 1 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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 woman who is engaged to be married
From this reading “"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.”
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading “KIPLING.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."”
a particular situation
From this reading “"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.”
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading “Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."”
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading “"His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.”
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 “Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."”
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.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
a woman who is engaged to be married
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading KIPLING.
a boy or man
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
the force of workers available
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They see the things I see."
a particular situation
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "The men of my own stock Bitter-bad they may be, But at least they hear the things I hear.
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Published in England under the title of "The Lad With Wings."
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading "His Official Fiancee," "The Wooing of Rosamond Fayre," "In Another Girl's Shoes," Etc.
Chapter 1 of The Boy with Wings by Berta Ruck holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 1 holds 234 sentences of The Boy with Wings, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Boy with Wings by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 1 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 with Wings by Berta Ruck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6451 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36223 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36223, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1291 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy with Wings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Boy with Wings 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 with Wings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
