Chapter 20 of The Radio Boys Under the Sea is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Radio Boys Under the Sea is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet. Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them. What had happened? Had a meteor struck the island? Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
Chapter 20 of The Radio Boys Under the Sea is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading “Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?”
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity
From this reading “THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.”
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.”
(astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere
From this reading “Had a meteor struck the island?”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.”
at a wholesale price
From this reading “Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.”
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 THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
later than; following
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading What had happened?
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Had a meteor struck the island?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
(astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere
From this reading Had a meteor struck the island?
a particular point in time
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Had a meteor struck the island?
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
in a stupid manner
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then slowly, one after another they got to their feet, staring stupidly about them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had happened?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
at a wholesale price
From this reading Was this the beginning of wholesale destruction?
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE EARTHQUAKE For a moment they lay stunned by the force with which they had been flung from their feet.
Chapter 20 of The Radio Boys Under the Sea by J. W. Duffield holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 20 holds 91 sentences of The Radio Boys Under the Sea, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Radio Boys Under the Sea by J. W. Duffield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 20 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 Radio Boys Under the Sea by J. W. Duffield on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2926 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45146, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 243 minutes of reading across 586 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Radio Boys Under the Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Radio Boys Under the Sea 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 Radio Boys Under the Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
