Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 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 and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What's the matter, Tom? You look rather blue!" "Blue! Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any." "Whew!"
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 128 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.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading “You look rather blue!"”
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
male cat
From this reading “"What's the matter, Tom?”
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading “Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading You look rather blue!"
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading You look rather blue!"
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter, Tom?
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
on the contrary
From this reading You look rather blue!"
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
express in words
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What's the matter, Tom?
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
male cat
From this reading "What's the matter, Tom?
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter, Tom?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whew!"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Say, Ned, I'd turn red, green, yellow, or any other color of the rainbow, if I thought it would help matters any."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You look rather blue!"
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship by Victor Appleton holds 128 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 1 holds 128 sentences of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 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 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 and His Aerial Warship by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3260 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 271 minutes of reading across 652 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship 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 and His Aerial Warship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
