Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president. "Whatever is the matter? You here at this hour? Bless my trial balance! Is anything wrong?
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.”
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading “Bless my trial balance!”
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.”
give a benediction to
From this reading “Bless my trial balance!”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.”
the act of testing something
From this reading “Bless my trial balance!”
past form of “usher” — take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading “A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.”
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 RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
any thing at all
From this reading Is anything wrong?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You here at this hour?
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading Bless my trial balance!
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
give a benediction to
From this reading Bless my trial balance!
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading You here at this hour?
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading You here at this hour?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Whatever is the matter?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Whatever is the matter?
a form of address for a man
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Bless my trial balance!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
with speed
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading You here at this hour?
male cat
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
the act of testing something
From this reading Bless my trial balance!
past form of “usher” — take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading "Whatever is the matter?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading A RUN ON THE BANK "Why, Mr. Pendergast!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, rising quickly as Tom ushered in the aged president.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Is anything wrong?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You here at this hour?
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout by Victor Appleton holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 17 holds 175 sentences of Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 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 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 17 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.
