Chapter 1 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FALL OF THE BEAR. Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains. To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more. At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent. Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
Chapter 1 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries
From this reading “At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.”
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading “Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.”
of or pertaining to or typical of Europe
From this reading “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
separate into parts or portions
From this reading “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading “Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.”
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.”
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 “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
In this reading “Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.”
In this reading “At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.”
keep or lay aside for future use
In this reading “Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.”
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 Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
have
From this reading THE FALL OF THE BEAR.
of or pertaining to or typical of Europe
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
separate into parts or portions
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading THE FALL OF THE BEAR.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
held up in the air
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FALL OF THE BEAR.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FALL OF THE BEAR.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading Thirty miles away lifted the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To the east of the basin lay a slope of half a mile or more.
the upper part of anything
From this reading At the top of the slope stretched a summit not more than half an acre in extent.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two aeroplanes lay in a green basin in the heart of the Rocky mountains.
Chapter 1 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service by Frank Walton holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 134 sentences of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service by Frank Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service by Frank Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3469 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50824 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50824, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 289 minutes of reading across 694 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service 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 Secret Service, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
