Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "You don't mean it!" "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news. "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way. They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
-ing form of “burst” — come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading “THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading “They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.”
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading “THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.”
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading “"I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
give a benediction to
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
-ing form of “burst” — come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't mean it!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
your parents
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
the act of departing
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You don't mean it!"
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You don't mean it!"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BURSTING DAM "Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'll have to lose some of their goods, I reckon.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "And the folks down below aren't going to have any more time than they need to get out of the way.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
which person or people
From this reading "I sure do!" went on the man who had brought the startling news.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't mean it!"
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 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 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 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.
