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Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat
Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.
He could find nothing wrong.
The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.
That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.
"Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat 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

Line 1
TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.
/ˈtoʊɪŋ sʌm ɡɜːrlz wɪð ə sens ʌv ˈæŋɡər ˈmɪŋɡəld wɪð æn ˌæprɪˈhenʃən lest sʌm hɑːrm ʃʊd hæv bɪn dʌn tuː hɪz kræft ðə ˈoʊnər ʌv ðə ˈæroʊ went ˈkerfəli ˈoʊvər ɪt/
Line 2
He could find nothing wrong.
/hiː kʊd faɪnd ˈnʌθɪŋ rɔːŋ/
Line 3
The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.
Line 4
That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.
Line 5
"Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.
/naʊ wʌt kʊd hæv bɪn hɪz ˈɑːbdʒekt mjuːzd tɑːm/

Learner Dictionary

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.

apprehension noun US /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading “TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.”

arrow noun US /ˈæroʊ/

a mark to indicate a direction or relation

From this reading “TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.”

compartment noun US /kəmˈpɑːrtmənt/

a space into which an area is subdivided

From this reading “The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.”

craft noun US /kræft/

the skilled practice of a practical occupation

From this reading “TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.”

engine noun US /ˈendʒən/

motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

From this reading “The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.”

keys noun US /kiːz/

plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading “That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.”

mused verb US /mjuːzd/

past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject

From this reading “"Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.”

towing verb US /ˈtoʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “tow” — drag behind

From this reading “TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

accomplishedadjectiveUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃt/

highly skilled

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

Andy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

angernounUS /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

apprehensionnounUS /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

ARROWnounUS /ˈæroʊ/

a mark to indicate a direction or relation

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

compartmentnounUS /kəmˈpɑːrtmənt/

a space into which an area is subdivided

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He could find nothing wrong.

craftnounUS /kræft/

the skilled practice of a practical occupation

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

enginenounUS /ˈendʒən/

motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

evidentadjectiveUS /ˈevədənt/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading He could find nothing wrong.

Foger's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

GIRLSnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

harmnounUS /hɑːrm/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He could find nothing wrong.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

keysnounUS /kiːz/

plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

lestconjunctionUS /lest/

in order that something should not happen

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

lockedverbUS /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

mingledverbUS /ˈmɪŋɡəld/

past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

musedverbUS /mjuːzd/

past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject

From this reading "Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He could find nothing wrong.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.

objectnounUS /ˈɑːbdʒekt/

a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow

From this reading "Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

ownernounUS /ˈoʊnər/

(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

ringverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

SOMEadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading That this had been done by one of the many keys on Andy Foger's ring was evident.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading "Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.

TOWINGverbUS /ˈtoʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “tow” — drag behind

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

unbidden

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

visitornounUS /ˈvɪzɪtər/

someone who visits

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The engine was all right and all that appeared to have been accomplished by the unbidden visitor was the opening of the locked forward compartment.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "Now what could have been his object?" mused Tom.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading TOWING SOME GIRLS With a sense of anger mingled with an apprehension lest some harm should have been done to his craft, the owner of the ARROW went carefully over it.

wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading He could find nothing wrong.

Chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat by Victor Appleton holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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.

What does chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat contain?

Chapter 6 holds 104 sentences of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat?

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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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.

Questions about reading Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat

Common questions about reading Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat?

Yes. All 3028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2273 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2273, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat take to read?

About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat section by section

How to work through Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Where
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Going
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Asked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Barton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.