Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 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 and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets. Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife. But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty. "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Not a blessed thing!
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
go together
From this reading “ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.”
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading “"Not a blessed thing!”
plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “"Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.”
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 Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
go together
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading "Not a blessed thing!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
that is looked for
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading But blank looks succeeded their first hopeful ones, for the hands came out empty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
a special situation
From this reading "Not a thing!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Probably the first thought of each one was a knife--a pocket knife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ACROSS THE SEA With one accord the hands of the captives sought their pockets.
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship by Victor Appleton holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 86 sentences of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #1281, a public-domain edition. 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.
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Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship to begin.
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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.
