Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I'm always in a hurry in fact. I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay. I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him." "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom. "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 16/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 76–80
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.
travel along a zigzag path
From this reading “"Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.”
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “I'm always in a hurry in fact.”
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “"Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.”
moving very fast
From this reading “I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “"Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."”
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 I'm always in a hurry in fact.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I'm always in a hurry in fact.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
travel along a zigzag path
From this reading "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading I'm always in a hurry in fact.
the act of departing
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading I'm always in a hurry in fact.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm always in a hurry in fact.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I'm always in a hurry in fact.
and nothing more
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
a form of address for a man
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
on one occasion
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
moving very fast
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this morning, just by this delay.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
male cat
From this reading "Another crank, I guess," mused Tom.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I'm not going to waste much time on him."
in the company of; together with
From this reading I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have a talk with him."
Chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera by Victor Appleton holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 1 holds 177 sentences of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 1 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 Wizard Camera by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3172 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 635 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera 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 Wizard Camera, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
