Chapter 22 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RESCUE "Jump! Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon. But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him. Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor. "Why doesn't he jump?"
Chapter 22 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading “Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.”
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading “Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.”
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.”
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.”
plural of “motion” — the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading “Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.”
an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience
From this reading “But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.”
a swing used by circus acrobats
From this reading “Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why doesn't he jump?"
open to doubt or suspicion
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading THE RESCUE "Jump!
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
-ing form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
plural of “motion” — the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
free from harm or evil
From this reading THE RESCUE "Jump!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor.
moving very fast
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RESCUE "Jump!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
a swing used by circus acrobats
From this reading Jump!" cried Mr. Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why doesn't he jump?"
Chapter 22 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat by Victor Appleton holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 22 holds 128 sentences of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 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 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 22 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 Motor-Boat by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2273 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2273, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat 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 Motor-Boat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
