Chapter XII of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane, “The Kidnappers,” is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter XII of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane, “The Kidnappers,” is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The door between the two rooms was closed. That into the patio was ajar. Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio. A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door. A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
Chapter XII of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane, “The Kidnappers,” is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
slightly open
From this reading “That into the patio was ajar.”
the act of burning something
From this reading “A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.”
-ing form of “doze” — sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading “A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.”
held or filled or in use
From this reading “A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “That into the patio was ajar.”
past form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading “Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.”
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.
exterior door (at the entrance) at the front of a building
In this reading “A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.”
In this reading “A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.”
In this reading “Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.”
In this reading “Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.”
In this reading “The door between the two rooms was closed.”
In this reading “The door between the two rooms was closed.”
In this reading “A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.”
In this reading “A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.”
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 small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
slightly open
From this reading That into the patio was ajar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
the act of burning something
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
-ing form of “doze” — sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading That into the patio was ajar.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
not any; not one
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
held or filled or in use
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading That into the patio was ajar.
past form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A small lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That into the patio was ajar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door between the two rooms was closed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A man sat dozing on a chair outside De Mello’s room, which was no doubt occupied by Carabaño.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio.
Chapter 12 of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane by Herbert Strang holds 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 12 holds 301 sentences of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 12 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 Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3127 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39151 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39151, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane 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 Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
