Chapter 16 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 XVI
Chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air. "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned. "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon. "Are they anarchists?" "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
Chapter 16 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.
a vehicle that can fly
From this reading “THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.”
plural of “anarchist” — an advocate of anarchism
From this reading “"Are they anarchists?"”
plural of “bomb” — an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “"Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.”
plural of “explosion” — a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.”
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “"It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.”
plural of “nihilist” — someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief
From this reading “THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.”
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.”
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 THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
a vehicle that can fly
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
plural of “anarchist” — an advocate of anarchism
From this reading "Are they anarchists?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are they anarchists?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
give a benediction to
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
plural of “bomb” — an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
rid of obstructions
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
plural of “explosion” — a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
plural of “nihilist” — someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
and nothing more
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
following in order to overtake or capture or as accompaniment to such pursuit
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading "Bless my safety match!" cried Mr. Damon.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Are they anarchists?"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THE NIHILISTS From the pursuing aircraft came a series of sharp explosions that fairly rattled through the clear air.
male cat
From this reading "It's only their motor back-firing," cried Tom.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Look out for bombs!" yelled Ned.
Chapter 16 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 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 16 holds 66 sentences of Tom Swift and His Air Glider, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Air Glider by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 16 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
