Chapter 16 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him. His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly. “Where on earth am I? What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings. “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
Chapter 16 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.”
excessively
From this reading “His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.”
plural of “hurt” — any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading ““Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.”
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading “His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.”
morally degraded
From this reading “What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.”
the environmental condition
From this reading “What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.”
not known or well known
From this reading “What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.”
plural of “waterfall” — a steep descent of the water of a river
From this reading “His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading ““Where on earth am I?”
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 His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Where on earth am I?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
excessively
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
without liveliness
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “Where on earth am I?
opinion or judgment
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
ten 10s
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
plural of “hurt” — any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Where on earth am I?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
in a languid and lethargic manner
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Where on earth am I?
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Jack Chadwick opened his eyes and looked languidly about him.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
morally degraded
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
the environmental condition
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
not known or well known
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Oh, how my head hurts!” was his next thought.
plural of “waterfall” — a steep descent of the water of a river
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What has happened?” he thought dully, as his eyes took in the unfamiliar and squalid surroundings.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where on earth am I?
in the company of; together with
From this reading His ears sang with the noise of a hundred waterfalls, his brain throbbed cruelly.
Chapter 16 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 16 holds 111 sentences of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun by Richard Bonner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 16 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.
