Chapter 15 of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire 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 XV
Chapter 15 of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS. A sudden idea sprang into my mind. I would try it. If it failed there would be no harm done. Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
Chapter 15 of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading “CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.”
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.”
concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
From this reading “Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.”
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 “A sudden idea sprang into my mind.”
In this reading “A sudden idea sprang into my mind.”
In this reading “CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.”
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 sudden idea sprang into my mind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
divisible by two
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
at any time
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I would try it.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I would try it.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
engage in
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
not any; not one
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A sudden idea sprang into my mind.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If it failed there would be no harm done.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading CAPTAIN HANNOCK TRIES TO MAKE TERMS.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading I would try it.
concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
From this reading Captain Hannock's reference to rats put me in mind of cats; and drawing in my breath, I let off the most unearthly cat cry that has ever passed my lips, a cry that astonished even myself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would try it.
Chapter 15 of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire by Edward Stratemeyer 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 15 holds 100 sentences of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire by Edward Stratemeyer 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 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 Last Cruise of the Spitfire by Edward Stratemeyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34367 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34367, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 788 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Cruise of the Spitfire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Last Cruise of the Spitfire 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 Last Cruise of the Spitfire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
