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Tom Swift and his chest of secrets
Tom Swift and his chest of secrets

Chapter XVIII · Two Disappearances

Chapter XVIII of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets, “Two Disappearances,” is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tom Swift and his chest of secrets
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”
“Come back here, Rad!
Come back!
Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.
“I’m no ghost!”
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tom Swift and his chest of secrets

Chapter XVIII · Two Disappearances

Chapter XVIII of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets, “Two Disappearances,” is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”
/dɪˈspaɪt ðə fækt ðæt hiː wɑːz ˈtaɪərd əpˈset ɪn hɪz maɪnd ənd ðæt hɪz hed wɑːz bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ tuː eɪk əˈɡen tɑːm swɪft kʊd nɑːt help ˈlæfɪŋ æt ðə fraɪt ʃoʊn baɪ ɪˈrædəkeɪt æz ðə ˈkʌlərd mæn meɪd ðə best taɪm ˈpɑːsəbəl əˈweɪ frʌm ðə ɡoʊst/
Line 2
“Come back here, Rad!
/kʌm bæk hiːr ræd/
Line 3
Come back!
/kʌm bæk/
Line 4
Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.
/ˈnʌθɪŋz ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː hɜːrt juː kraɪd tɑːm ˈrʌnɪŋ daʊn təˈwɔːrd ðə əpˈset ˈlæntərn/
Line 5
“I’m no ghost!”

Learner Dictionary

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.

ache verb US /eɪk/

feel physical pain

From this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

colored adjective US /ˈkʌlərd/

having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination

From this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

Eradicate verb US /ɪˈrædəkeɪt/

kill in large numbers

From this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

fright noun US /fraɪt/

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

lantern noun US /ˈlæntərn/

light in a transparent protective case

From this reading “Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.”

Nothing's noun US /ˈnʌθɪŋz/

possessive form of “nothing” — a quantity of no importance

Rad noun US /ræd/

a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material

From this reading ““Come back here, Rad!”

upset verb US /əpˈset/

disturb the balance or stability of

From this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

DESPITE the fact preposition + article + noun counted as “despite … fact”

In this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

help laughing verb + adjective

In this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

colored man adjective + noun

In this reading “DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.””

Come back verb + particle

be restored

In this reading ““Come back here, Rad!”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

acheverbUS /eɪk/

feel physical pain

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading “Come back here, Rad!

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

coloredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərd/

having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Come back here, Rad!

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

DESPITEprepositionUS /dɪˈspaɪt/

although something is true; in spite of

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

EradicateverbUS /ɪˈrædəkeɪt/

kill in large numbers

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

frightnounUS /fraɪt/

an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

ghostnounUS /ɡoʊst/

a mental representation of some haunting experience

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading “Come back here, Rad!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

hurtverbUS /hɜːrt/

be the source of pain

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I’m no ghost!”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/

light in a transparent protective case

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

laughingadjectiveUS /ˈlæfɪŋ/

showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “I’m no ghost!”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

Nothing'snounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋz/

possessive form of “nothing” — a quantity of no importance

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

RadnounUS /ræd/

a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material

From this reading “Come back here, Rad!

runningadjectiveUS /ˈrʌnɪŋ/

(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

shownverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

SwiftadjectiveUS /swɪft/

moving very fast

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/

depleted of strength or energy

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

upsetverbUS /əpˈset/

disturb the balance or stability of

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading DESPITE the fact that he was tired, upset in his mind and that his head was beginning to ache again, Tom Swift could not help laughing at the fright shown by Eradicate as the colored man made the best time possible away from the “ghost.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Nothing’s going to hurt you!” cried Tom, running down toward the upset lantern.

Chapter 18 of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets by Victor Appleton holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

What does chapter 18 of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets contain?

Chapter 18 holds 140 sentences of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of Tom Swift and his chest of secrets?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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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Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Tom Swift and his chest of secrets

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tom Swift and his chest of secrets, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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