Chapter XVII of Tom Swift circling the globe, “Kilborn's Trick,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVII of Tom Swift circling the globe, “Kilborn's Trick,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok. “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers. You will see a pretty fight.” “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor. “I want to get under way again.”
Chapter XVII of Tom Swift circling the globe, “Kilborn's Trick,” is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
plural of “bandit” — an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
plural of “gypsy” — a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
From this reading ““I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.”
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
a native or inhabitant of Iran
From this reading ““I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.”
plural of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading ““I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.”
a minor short-term fight
From this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.”
In this reading ““I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.”
in motion; set in motion
In this reading ““I want to get under way again.””
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 “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
anew
From this reading “I want to get under way again.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
plural of “bandit” — an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I want to get under way again.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
plural of “gypsy” — a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
a native or inhabitant of Iran
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading You will see a pretty fight.”
plural of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
a minor short-term fight
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
male cat
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading “I want to get under way again.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I want to get under way again.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “I want to get under way again.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “I didn’t start this world flight to witness a skirmish between bandits and the soldiers,” said Tom, with grim humor.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading “I know those Yellow Gypsies and I know the Persian forest rangers.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “NOW you will see a fight!” cried Peltok.
Chapter 17 of Tom Swift circling the globe by Victor Appleton holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 17 holds 103 sentences of Tom Swift circling the globe, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Tom Swift circling the globe by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 circling the globe by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift circling the globe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Tom Swift circling the globe 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 circling the globe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
