Chapter 15 of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking. Yet he did not seem that kind of man. "Mistake? How can there be a mistake, sor? I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 person who exercises control over workers
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
made afraid
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
male cat
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
showing curiosity
From this reading “Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.”
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 How can there be a mistake, sor?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading How can there be a mistake, sor?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
made afraid
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How can there be a mistake, sor?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How can there be a mistake, sor?
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
express in words
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
male cat
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wint in there to tell th' black imps t' come out, but they're not there to tell!"
showing curiosity
From this reading Frightened Indians "There must be some mistake," said Tom, wondering if the Irish foreman were given to joking.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet he did not seem that kind of man.
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel by Victor Appleton holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 15 holds 91 sentences of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 15 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 Big Tunnel by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3230 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #953 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #953, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 646 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel 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 Big Tunnel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
