Chapter 14 of Tom Swift in Captivity is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Tom Swift in Captivity is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do. The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face. Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent. Then Tom spoke. "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
Chapter 14 of Tom Swift in Captivity is here in full — 141 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.”
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading “"He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."”
a long fixed look
From this reading “The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.”
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.”
by chance
From this reading “Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.”
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading “Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.”
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading “Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.”
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 IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
later than; following
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
without stop or interruption
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
a long fixed look
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
having an easygoing and cheerful disposition
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
by chance
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
Identical; not different.
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Then Tom spoke.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Tom spoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
male cat
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Possibly he was amused at the small size of the persons in the tent.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading IN THE "PALACE" OF THE KING For a few moments after their first ejaculations neither Tom nor Ned knew what to do.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The giant continued to gaze at them, with the same good-natured grin on his face.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "He doesn't look as if he would bite, Ned."
Chapter 14 of Tom Swift in Captivity by Victor Appleton holds 141 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 14 holds 141 sentences of Tom Swift in Captivity, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Tom Swift in Captivity by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 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 14 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.
