Chapter 8 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air. The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp. The very house seemed to tremble. "Jove! This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
Chapter 8 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
aircraft supported only by the dynamic action of air against its surfaces
From this reading “This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.”
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading “The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.”
a humming noise
From this reading “IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.”
plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading “The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.”
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy
From this reading “The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.”
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading “The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.”
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “The very house seemed to tremble.”
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.”
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 IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
a member of one of four linguistic divisions of the prehistoric Greeks
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
later than; following
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
aroused or activated
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
aircraft supported only by the dynamic action of air against its surfaces
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
a humming noise
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
(Roman mythology) supreme god of Romans; counterpart of Greek Zeus
From this reading "Jove!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The very house seemed to tremble.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
moving very fast
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
in or at that place or location
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The very house seemed to tremble.
male cat
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading The very house seemed to tremble.
precisely as stated
From this reading The very house seemed to tremble.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN A GREAT GALE There was a humming in the air.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading This is a wind!" cried Tom as he awakened on a morning a few days after his air glider was nearly completed.
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading The telegraph wires that ran along on high poles past the house of Tom Swift sung a song like that of an Aeolian harp.
Chapter 8 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider by Victor Appleton holds 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 8 holds 66 sentences of Tom Swift and His Air Glider, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 8 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 Air Glider by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #952 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #952, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 237 minutes of reading across 571 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Air Glider section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Air Glider 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 Air Glider, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
