Chapter 9 of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply. "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point." "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle. "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom. "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
Chapter 9 of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “"Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.”
major English composer of the 20th century; noted for his operas (1913-1976)
From this reading “A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.”
a change for the better
From this reading “"Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.”
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “"Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.”
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.”
a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence
From this reading “A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.”
lacking natural ease
From this reading “"The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “"Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.”
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 ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
the act of breaking something
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
major English composer of the 20th century; noted for his operas (1913-1976)
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
a change for the better
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
a boy or man
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
express in words
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
lacking natural ease
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The air-hoses are strained almost to the breaking point."
male cat
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading "Si," mumbled the engineer, easing off the brake a trifle.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A ROBBER "Loose the winches a little!" ordered Captain Britten sharply.
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Hard to say, young fellow," came the worried reply.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What's the trouble, in your opinion, Captain?" asked Tom.
Chapter 9 of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope by Victor Appleton holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 9 holds 104 sentences of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 9 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 Telescope by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope 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 Telescope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
