Chapter 13 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!” Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs. Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat. “You’re going after him?” “Yes.
Chapter 13 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
a member of a police force
From this reading ““Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!””
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading “Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.”
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.”
-ing form of “scuttle” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading “Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
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 “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
be restored
In this reading ““Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!””
In this reading “Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.”
In this reading “Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.”
become used up; be exhausted
In this reading ““Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!””
In this reading “Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.”
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 “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
later than; following
From this reading “You’re going after him?”
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
the lower side of anything
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
the act of departing
From this reading “You’re going after him?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’re going after him?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
-ing form of “scuttle” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
male cat
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Higher up he could hear his quarry scuttling off in the darkness like a rat.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Jack flung the words back as he leaped forward and stumbled against the bottom step of a flight of stairs.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Tom, run out and get a policeman, and come back as quick as you can!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re going after him?”
Chapter 13 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 13 holds 161 sentences of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 13 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.
