Chapter 3 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement. "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line. Tell us more about the battery. What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?" "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
Chapter 3 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
harsh or corrosive in tone
From this reading “What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"”
plural of “ambition” — a cherished desire
From this reading “"I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.”
a formal public statement
From this reading “THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.”
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading “Tell us more about the battery.”
the specified day of the month
From this reading “"Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.”
a motor vehicle with two wheels and a strong frame
From this reading “THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.”
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"”
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading “THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.”
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 MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Tell us more about the battery.
harsh or corrosive in tone
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
later than; following
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
in the past
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
plural of “ambition” — a cherished desire
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
a formal public statement
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading Tell us more about the battery.
the specified day of the month
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
a boy or man
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Tell us more about the battery.
a motor vehicle with two wheels and a strong frame
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
of or relating to or containing sulfur
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
express in words
From this reading Tell us more about the battery.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, that's out of date long ago," declared the lad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
male cat
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tell us more about the battery.
the act of using
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
(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 THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What system do you use; lead plates and sulphuric acid?"
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading THE MOTORCYCLE WINS "Well, Tom," remarked Mr. Sharp, after a pause following the lad's announcement.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I didn't know you had any ambitions in that line.
Chapter 3 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout by Victor Appleton holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 3 holds 213 sentences of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 3 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 Runabout by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3026 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #950, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout 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 Runabout, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
