Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other. For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them. "The smugglers!" whispered Tom. "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon. "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight is here in full — 109 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “"Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “"And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “"And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “"Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.”
any competition
From this reading “THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.”
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading “"The smugglers!" whispered Tom.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"The smugglers!" whispered Tom.”
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 For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course!" agreed Mr. Damon.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
any competition
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading "The smugglers!" whispered Tom.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THE NIGHT RACE The three looked at each other.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
male cat
From this reading "The smugglers!" whispered Tom.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading For a moment they could not understand, and then, as they stood there, the meaning came to them.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "The smugglers!" whispered Tom.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And they must have taken him for you, Tom, for he had on your coat and cap.
Chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight by Victor Appleton holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 23 holds 109 sentences of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 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 23 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 Great Searchlight by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4635 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4635, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight 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 Great Searchlight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
