Chapter 12 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak. Jack was the first to find his voice. “What on earth are we going to do? How can we ever explain?” he quavered. “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
Chapter 12 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “How can we ever explain?” he quavered.”
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading “For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.”
mourned or grieved for
From this reading ““If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading ““If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading ““If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.”
past form of “quaver” — give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
From this reading “How can we ever explain?” he quavered.”
plural of “rascal” — a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading ““If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.”
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 “For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.”
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading ““What on earth are we going to do?”
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 For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
at any time
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
the act of departing
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
mourned or grieved for
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
past form of “quaver” — give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
From this reading How can we ever explain?” he quavered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
plural of “rascal” — a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
express in speech
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
male cat
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jack was the first to find his voice.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a short space of time the lads were too thunderstruck to speak.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What on earth are we going to do?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “If we hadn’t left the machine alone with Ralph we might have managed to fight the rascals off,” lamented Tom.
Chapter 12 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 69 sentences of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2645 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57305, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 220 minutes of reading across 529 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun 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 Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
