Chapter 14 of Under Fire is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Under Fire is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night. For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain. To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply. "Oh, I don't know. I heard noises, or voices, or something.
Chapter 14 of Under Fire is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress
From this reading “For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.”
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading “Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.”
capable of being apprehended or understood
From this reading “To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.”
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “I heard noises, or voices, or something.”
a humble request for help from someone in authority
From this reading “To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.”
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.”
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading “For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.”
compelling immediate action
From this reading “To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
plural of “davy” — English chemist who was a pioneer in electrochemistry and who used it to isolate elements sodium and potassium and barium and boron and calcium and magnesium and chlorine (1778-1829)
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
psychological suffering
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I heard noises, or voices, or something.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
capable of being apprehended or understood
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
not any; not one
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading I heard noises, or voices, or something.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I heard noises, or voices, or something.
a humble request for help from someone in authority
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I heard noises, or voices, or something.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
compelling immediate action
From this reading To his urgent plea to be told the cause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I heard noises, or voices, or something.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night.
but in spite of that
From this reading For nearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to be comforted, and yet failed to explain.
Chapter 14 of Under Fire by Charles King holds 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 14 holds 269 sentences of Under Fire, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Under Fire by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 14 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 Under Fire by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6156 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20101 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20101, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1232 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Fire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Under Fire 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 Under Fire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
