Chapter 2 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen. "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!" "You're right! This seems to be my unlucky day!" The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
Chapter 2 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading “"Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"”
an act that fails
From this reading “TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.”
disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet
From this reading “The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.”
plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act
From this reading “"Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"”
very drunk
From this reading “"Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"”
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading “TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.”
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading “This seems to be my unlucky day!"”
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 birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading This seems to be my unlucky day!"
an act that fails
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
come to pass
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading This seems to be my unlucky day!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
with speed
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "You're right!
a strong line
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
cut with a saw
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading This seems to be my unlucky day!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
very drunk
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This seems to be my unlucky day!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
male cat
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading TOM'S FAILURE "Come on!" cried Tom, quickly, as, turning, he saw the accident about to happen.
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading This seems to be my unlucky day!"
in or at the place that
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The birdman, limping slightly from his fall, hurried with Tom to where a rope trailed on the ground.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're right!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your craft will surely be smashed if she slips to the ground, Mr. Halling!"
Chapter 2 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 2 holds 144 sentences of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 2 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 Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3297 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4532 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4532, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 660 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone 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 Photo Telephone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
