Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift! I'm so glad to see you!" Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor. He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife. "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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 friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.”
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.”
befitting a mother; warm and nurturing
From this reading “Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.”
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading “"Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!”
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading “He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “"Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
befitting a mother; warm and nurturing
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
moving very fast
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
male cat
From this reading THE TELEPHONE PICTURE "Oh, Tom Swift!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading He held her close, and his own eyes were not free from tears as he witnessed the grief of his best friend's wife.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading "Now, don't worry, Mrs. Damon," said Tom, sympathetically.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'm so glad to see you!"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Mrs. Damon clasped her arms, in motherly fashion, about the young inventor.
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 12 holds 220 sentences of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 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 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 12 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.
