Chapter 15 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM. “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie. “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes. The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!” “How could it get lost from the vestibule?”
Chapter 15 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service is here in full — 131 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.
without advance planning
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading ““Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading ““No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.”
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 ““How could it get lost from the vestibule?””
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 “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
without advance planning
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
react verbally
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
for the reason that
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could it get lost from the vestibule?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
a boy or man
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “How could it get lost from the vestibule?”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
destroyed or killed
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How could it get lost from the vestibule?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “How could it get lost from the vestibule?”
engage in
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Did he make much of a row about it?” asked Jimmie.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
a guest cabin
From this reading THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAN IN THE STATEROOM.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fellow seemed glad to know that it was gone!”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “No,” was the answer, “because the porter convinced him that it had accidentally fallen from the vestibule during a short stop in one of the passes.
Chapter 15 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service by Frank Walton holds 131 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 15 holds 131 sentences of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service by Frank Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 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 15 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.
