Chapter 15 of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements. "Everybody here? Gee up!" says the sergeant. Downward and rolling, we go forward. We know not where we go.
Chapter 15 of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
-ing form of “bristle” — be in a state of movement or action
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
third-person singular of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
an unchanging intonation
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading “Gee up!" says the sergeant.”
plural of “implement” — instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
plural of “shovel” — a hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
plural of “trickle” — flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid
From this reading “Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.”
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 Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
-ing form of “bristle” — be in a state of movement or action
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
third-person singular of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading Downward and rolling, we go forward.
an unchanging intonation
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
every person
From this reading "Everybody here?
record in a public office or in a court of law
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Downward and rolling, we go forward.
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading Gee up!" says the sergeant.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Downward and rolling, we go forward.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Everybody here?
plural of “implement” — instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading We know not where we go.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We know not where we go.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
select carefully from a group
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
uttered with a trill
From this reading Downward and rolling, we go forward.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Gee up!" says the sergeant.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading Gee up!" says the sergeant.
plural of “shovel” — a hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
plural of “trickle” — flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Gee up!" says the sergeant.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
in or at the place that
From this reading We know not where we go.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading Down yonder we hear a droning chant--"Two shovels, one pick, two shovels, one pick----" The file trickles along to the tool-store, stagnates at the door, and departs, bristling with implements.
Chapter 15 of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad by Henri Barbusse holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 420 sentences of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Under Fire: The Story of a Squad by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6647 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4380 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4380, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 553 minutes of reading across 1330 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Fire: The Story of a Squad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Under Fire: The Story of a Squad 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: The Story of a Squad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
