Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?" "You're right, Ned--in a way. And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible." "Hard work! We?
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."”
any thing at all
From this reading “And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."”
a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903
From this reading “OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"”
male cat
From this reading “OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."”
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 "You're right, Ned--in a way.
later than; following
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
(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 And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
any thing at all
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You're right, Ned--in a way.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're right, Ned--in a way.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
capable of happening or existing
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
precisely, exactly
From this reading "You're right, Ned--in a way.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
male cat
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "You're right, Ned--in a way.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading OFF FOR PANAMA "Well, Tom, it doesn't seem possible; does it, old man?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet, after all the hard work we've done, almost anything is possible."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're right, Ned--in a way.
Chapter 21 of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon by Victor Appleton holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 21 holds 139 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 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 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 21 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.
