Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously. The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful. "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length. "Are you sure the model and papers are gone? How did it happen?"
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle is here in full — 129 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.”
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.”
come to pass
From this reading “How did it happen?"”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.”
something that is lost
From this reading “The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.”
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading “"Are you sure the model and papers are gone?”
moving very fast
From this reading “"Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.”
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 The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
anew
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
(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 "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading How did it happen?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
come to pass
From this reading How did it happen?"
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How did it happen?"
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
something that is lost
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
moving very fast
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
express in words
From this reading "Tell me all about it, Tom," said Mr. Swift at length.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
male cat
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading HAPPY HARRY AGAIN Tom watched his father anxiously.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you sure the model and papers are gone?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young inventor knew the loss had been a heavy one, and he blamed himself for not having been more careful.
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle by Victor Appleton holds 129 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 17 holds 129 sentences of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 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 17 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-Cycle by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2983 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4230 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4230, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 248 minutes of reading across 597 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle 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-Cycle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
