Chapter 12 of Tom Swift in Captivity is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 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 in Captivity is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned. "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon. "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom. "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed. But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift in Captivity is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading “"It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.”
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading “"It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.”
withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility
From this reading “THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.”
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading “"It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.”
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading “"It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.”
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading “"If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
(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 But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
the friend of Phintias who pledged his life that Phintias would return (4th century BC)
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
and nothing more
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "It's fighting at close range all right," commented Mr. Damon.
express in words
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading THE DESERTION "Say, look at those fellows pitch into one another!" gasped Ned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
male cat
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But say, we'd better be thinking of ourselves.
(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 "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe it's just as well they haven't, for there won't be so many killed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If they had rifles they wouldn't be at it hand to hand," spoke Tom.
Chapter 12 of Tom Swift in Captivity by Victor Appleton holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 149 sentences of Tom Swift in Captivity, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Tom Swift in Captivity by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 in Captivity by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4608, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 234 minutes of reading across 563 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift in Captivity section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Swift in Captivity 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 in Captivity, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
