Chapter 13 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard! Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon. "Will it blow up, or anything like that?" "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination. Mr. Sharp assisted him.
Chapter 13 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading “Mr. Sharp assisted him.”
give a benediction to
From this reading “TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.”
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “"No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.”
thick-walled muscular pouch below the crop in many birds and reptiles for grinding food
From this reading “TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “"No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.”
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!”
past form of “tow” — drag behind
From this reading “TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!”
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 TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
any thing at all
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading Mr. Sharp assisted him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
give a benediction to
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
exhale hard
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
thick-walled muscular pouch below the crop in many birds and reptiles for grinding food
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mr. Sharp assisted him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
a boy or man
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
engage in
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
not any; not one
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Mr. Sharp assisted him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to make an examination.
past form of “tow” — drag behind
From this reading TOWED BY A MULE "Bless my gizzard!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will it blow up, or anything like that?"
Chapter 13 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout by Victor Appleton holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 13 holds 130 sentences of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 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 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 13 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.
