Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku! Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece. "Eradicate! Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube. If you do, you'll never do it again!"
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
to or from every one of two or more (considered individually)
From this reading “Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.”
make a strident sound
From this reading “A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!”
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading “Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.”
kill in large numbers
From this reading “"Eradicate!”
no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives
From this reading “Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.”
walk unsteadily
From this reading “Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.”
conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
From this reading “Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.”
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 POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
anew
From this reading If you do, you'll never do it again!"
to or from every one of two or more (considered individually)
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
black-and-white short-necked web-footed diving bird of northern seas
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
make a strident sound
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
gotten under control
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If you do, you'll never do it again!"
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
kill in large numbers
From this reading "Eradicate!
no longer in existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you do, you'll never do it again!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading If you do, you'll never do it again!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
walk unsteadily
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
during the time that
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A POWERFUL BLAST "Look out with that box, Koku!
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Handle it as though it contained a dozen eggs of the extinct great auk, worth about a thousand dollars apiece.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you do, you'll never do it again!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you dare stumble while you're carrying that tube.
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 12 holds 98 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 12 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 Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3164 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1361, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 263 minutes of reading across 633 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon 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 Giant Cannon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
