Chapter 17 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another. "Give up. We'll have to wait and see. It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions." "Yes, but an empty bottle!
Chapter 17 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."”
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading “"Yes, but an empty bottle!”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “"Yes, but an empty bottle!”
of great significance or value
From this reading “It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."”
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading “It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.”
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.
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Yes, but an empty bottle!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We'll have to wait and see.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading "Yes, but an empty bottle!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but an empty bottle!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
make void or empty of contents
From this reading "Yes, but an empty bottle!
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give up.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We'll have to wait and see.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
of great significance or value
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
a small worthless amount
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We'll have to wait and see.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading It's something important though, to judge by Tom's actions."
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading We'll have to wait and see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll have to wait and see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE TRAIL "What's he up to now?" asked Bert of Jack, as the two stood in the room, looking at one another.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but an empty bottle!
Chapter 17 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 17 holds 127 sentences of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 17 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 Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3184 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14083 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14083, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 265 minutes of reading across 637 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck 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 Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
