Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?" Tom Swift asked that question. "Bless my percussion cap! They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly. "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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 flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “"Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.”
past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading “They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.”
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading “"Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.”
in a helpless manner
From this reading “They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.”
English mathematician and physicist; remembered for developing the calculus and for his law of gravitation and his three laws of motion (1642-1727)
From this reading “"Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.”
the act of playing a percussion instrument
From this reading “"Bless my percussion cap!”
having a hole cut through
From this reading “"Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.”
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 A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Tom Swift asked that question.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
give a benediction to
From this reading "Bless my percussion cap!
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading "Bless my percussion cap!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
at any time
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
in a helpless manner
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
a form of address for a man
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Bless my percussion cap!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
English mathematician and physicist; remembered for developing the calculus and for his law of gravitation and his three laws of motion (1642-1727)
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the act of playing a percussion instrument
From this reading "Bless my percussion cap!
having a hole cut through
From this reading "Is the gas bag much punctured?" asked Ned Newton.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Tom Swift asked that question.
moving very fast
From this reading Tom Swift asked that question.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Tom Swift asked that question.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
male cat
From this reading Tom Swift asked that question.
precisely as stated
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A NIGHT ATTACK "Well, what's to be done?"
the least favorable outcome
From this reading They certainly are the very worst imps for fighting that I ever heard of," commented Mr. Damon helplessly.
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 21 holds 79 sentences of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 21 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 Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2533 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3777, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 211 minutes of reading across 507 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle 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 Electric Rifle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
