Chapter 17 of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY. For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below. There was nothing whatever the boys could do. The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty. The situation was a critical one.
Chapter 17 of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.”
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading “The situation was a critical one.”
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading “The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.”
having a sharply uneven surface or outline
From this reading “For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.”
plural of “motor” — machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.”
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading “The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.”
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 “For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.”
In this reading “The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.”
In this reading “A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.”
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 A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading The situation was a critical one.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
let fall to the ground
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
having a sharply uneven surface or outline
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.
an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
plural of “motor” — machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The situation was a critical one.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The situation was a critical one.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a time it looked as if the _Bertha_ must fall far short of the summit and drop to the jagged rocks below.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading The song of the motors had almost ceased, and they understood that through some mischance the gasoline tank had become empty.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading There was nothing whatever the boys could do.
Chapter 17 of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty by Frank Walton holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 17 holds 151 sentences of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty by Frank Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 17 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 Machine Boys on Duty by Frank Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3220 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50165 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50165, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flying Machine Boys on Duty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Flying Machine Boys on Duty 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 Machine Boys on Duty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
