Chapter 20 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew! Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over. "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned. "You've been on the jump since early morning." "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
Chapter 20 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 96 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.
third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true
From this reading “THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!”
give a benediction to
From this reading “"Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “"Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.”
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading “THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!”
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “"You've been on the jump since early morning."”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.”
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 "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true
From this reading THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
give a benediction to
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
a room used for dining
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
above and across; more than
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
be seated
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Bless my dining-room table!" cried Mr. Damon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
male cat
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
at the time that
From this reading Let me sit down somewhere and get my breath!" gasped Tom, when it was all over.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS "Whew!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I should think you would want a bit of quiet," replied Ned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've been on the jump since early morning."
Chapter 20 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 holds 96 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 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 20 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.
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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.
