Chapter 23 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO THE RESCUE "Uncle! Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith. "Can't we get down the stairs?" "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing. "And won't the elevators come for us?"
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters is here in full — 114 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.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “"I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.”
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.”
plural of “elevator” — lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading “"And won't the elevators come for us?"”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.”
becoming greater or larger
From this reading “"I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.”
free from harm or evil
From this reading “TO THE RESCUE "Uncle!”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “"I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “"Can't we get down the stairs?"”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't we get down the stairs?"
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "And won't the elevators come for us?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Can't we get down the stairs?"
plural of “elevator” — lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading "And won't the elevators come for us?"
at any time
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And won't the elevators come for us?"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Can't we get down the stairs?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
becoming greater or larger
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
free from harm or evil
From this reading TO THE RESCUE "Uncle!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Uncle Barton!" faltered Mary, as she clung to Mr. Keith.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "Can't we get down the stairs?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO THE RESCUE "Uncle!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO THE RESCUE "Uncle!
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading TO THE RESCUE "Uncle!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And won't the elevators come for us?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I'm afraid not, Mary," he answered, and he closed the door of his office to keep out the smoke that was ever increasing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Can't we get down the stairs?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And won't the elevators come for us?"
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters by Victor Appleton holds 114 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 23 holds 114 sentences of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 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 23 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.
