Chapter 19 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?" "Not a thing, Mr. Damon. Wait--hold on--no! It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder. "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
Chapter 19 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 107 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading “It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.”
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading “BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"”
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading “BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “"Not a thing, Mr. Damon.”
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading “"He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.”
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading “It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.”
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading “It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.”
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 "Not a thing, Mr. Damon.
a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
any thing at all
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "Not a thing, Mr. Damon.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
a person who exercises control over workers
From this reading "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Wait--hold on--no!
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
a boy or man
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Not a thing, Mr. Damon.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "He'd better hurry," murmured the foreman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
not any; not one
From this reading Wait--hold on--no!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not a thing, Mr. Damon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wait--hold on--no!
and nothing more
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
a special situation
From this reading "Not a thing, Mr. Damon.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Wait--hold on--no!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It's only a bird," and the lad lowered the glasses with which he had been sweeping the sky. looking for his chum returning in his airship with the powder.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading BLOWING DOWN THE BARRIER "Can you see anything of him, Ned?"
Chapter 19 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton holds 107 sentences, grouped into 22 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 19 holds 107 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 107 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 19 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, unabridged. 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.
