Chapter 34 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane. She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there. It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done." What had prevailed? Her own begging?
Chapter 34 of The Boy with Wings is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading “She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.”
a solicitation for money or food (especially in the street by an apparently penniless person)
From this reading “Her own begging?”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."”
the act of departing
From this reading “THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.”
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.”
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading “What had prevailed?”
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading “It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."”
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 “THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.”
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.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
(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 It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
a solicitation for money or food (especially in the street by an apparently penniless person)
From this reading Her own begging?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
the act of departing
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
a form of address for a man
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Her own begging?
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading What had prevailed?
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE Gwenna sat, for the first time in her life, in an aeroplane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
precisely as stated
From this reading She had very little actual notion of how she came to be there.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had prevailed?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was all confused in her mind, that which had happened between Mr. Ryan's so resolute "Can't be done, Mrs. Dampier," and its having been "done."
Chapter 34 of The Boy with Wings by Berta Ruck holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 34 holds 51 sentences of The Boy with Wings, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Boy with Wings by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 34 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.
