Chapter 26 of The Dreadnought of the Air is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Dreadnought of the Air is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNABLE TO RISE. "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres. "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy. "Well?" "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
Chapter 26 of The Dreadnought of the Air is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.”
fearless and daring
From this reading “"Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “"CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.”
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading “UNABLE TO RISE.”
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “"CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.”
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading “"Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.”
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.
the wire that carries telegraph and telephone signals
In this reading “"CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
fearless and daring
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
engage in
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
move upward
From this reading UNABLE TO RISE.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Might I make so bold as to suggest, sir?"
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading UNABLE TO RISE.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading UNABLE TO RISE.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well?"
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading "CUT the telephone wires, Callaghan," ordered Dacres.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir," expostulated that worthy.
Chapter 26 of The Dreadnought of the Air by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 100 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.
Chapter 26 holds 100 sentences of The Dreadnought of the Air, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Dreadnought of the Air by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 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.
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.
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 Dreadnought of the Air by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5673 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46117 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46117, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1135 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dreadnought of the Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Dreadnought of the Air 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 Dreadnought of the Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
