Chapter 3 of The Flying Boys in the Sky is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Flying Boys in the Sky is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BOHUNKUS JOHNSON. Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple. As he drew near he called: “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?” “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
Chapter 3 of The Flying Boys in the Sky is here in full — 108 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.
(sports) a division during which one team is on the offensive
From this reading ““Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?””
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading ““Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?””
enclose with a fence
From this reading “Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.”
English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)
From this reading ““I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.””
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading “BOHUNKUS JOHNSON.”
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.”
enameled or lacquered metalware (usually gilded and elaborately painted); popular in the 18th century
From this reading ““Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?””
having a hemispherical vault or dome
From this reading “Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.”
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 “Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.”
In this reading “Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.”
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 Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he drew near he called:
in a state of sleep
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOHUNKUS JOHNSON.
(sports) a division during which one team is on the offensive
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading As he drew near he called:
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As he drew near he called:
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
enclose with a fence
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he drew near he called:
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading BOHUNKUS JOHNSON.
a boy or man
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading As he drew near he called:
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
above and across; more than
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
enameled or lacquered metalware (usually gilded and elaborately painted); popular in the 18th century
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
in the direction of
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
having a hemispherical vault or dome
From this reading Suddenly a shout came from the edge of the field, and a negro lad vaulted over the fence and ran toward the couple.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why didn’t yo’ tole me ’bout dis, Harv?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I did call at your house for you, but Mr. Hartley said you were asleep.”
Chapter 3 of The Flying Boys in the Sky by Edward Sylvester Ellis holds 108 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 3 holds 108 sentences of The Flying Boys in the Sky, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Flying Boys in the Sky by Edward Sylvester Ellis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 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 3 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 Flying Boys in the Sky by Edward Sylvester Ellis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50823 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50823, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 266 minutes of reading across 640 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flying Boys in the Sky section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Flying Boys in the Sky 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 Flying Boys in the Sky, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
