Chapter 1 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Impossible, Ned! It can't be as much as that!" "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines. I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time. There are the figures.
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
-ing form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.”
plural of “addition” — a component that is added to something to improve it
From this reading “"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.”
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “There are the figures.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"Impossible, Ned!”
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.”
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.”
two times
From this reading “I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.”
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.
-ing form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
plural of “addition” — a component that is added to something to improve it
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are the figures.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
a quad with a square body
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading There are the figures.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "Impossible, Ned!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Impossible, Ned!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
above and across; more than
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It can't be as much as that!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are the figures.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
male cat
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
two times
From this reading I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding machines.
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters by Victor Appleton holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 1 holds 132 sentences of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 1 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 Swift Among the Fire Fighters by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3008 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 250 minutes of reading across 602 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters 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 Swift Among the Fire Fighters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
