Chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room. Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him. Tell him so, Rad!" "Hold on a second," suggested Ned. "Maybe you had better see him, Tom.
Chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone is here in full — 142 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.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.”
by chance
From this reading “"Maybe you had better see him, Tom.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.”
a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material
From this reading “Tell him so, Rad!"”
in a strange manner
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.”
moving very fast
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.”
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 MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Maybe you had better see him, Tom.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
the act of departing
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Maybe you had better see him, Tom.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Hold on a second," suggested Ned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe you had better see him, Tom.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
a particular point in time
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
of an obscure nature
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hold on a second," suggested Ned.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Hold on a second," suggested Ned.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material
From this reading Tell him so, Rad!"
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "Hold on a second," suggested Ned.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Tell him so, Rad!"
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
in a strange manner
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Hold on a second," suggested Ned.
moving very fast
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
express in words
From this reading Tell him so, Rad!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
male cat
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Tom Swift and his chum looked at one another strangely for a moment in the dim, red light of the dark room.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Maybe you had better see him, Tom.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Then the young inventor spoke: "I'm not going to see him.
Chapter 16 of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton holds 142 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 16 holds 142 sentences of Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 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 142 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 16 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.
