Chapter 23 of Down South is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Down South is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS. "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard. "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to." "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood. "The catfish live on the bottom."
Chapter 23 of Down South is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “"The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.”
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading “TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.”
the lower side of anything
From this reading “"The catfish live on the bottom."”
flesh of scaleless food fish of the southern United States; often farmed
From this reading “"The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.”
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “"Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “"The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.”
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading “"The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.”
angling by drawing a baited line through the water
From this reading “TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.”
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 "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.
the lower side of anything
From this reading "The catfish live on the bottom."
flesh of scaleless food fish of the southern United States; often farmed
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "The catfish live on the bottom."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The catfish live on the bottom."
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The idea of fishing for catfish is absurd!" exclaimed Colonel Shepard.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Don't fish so deep, then," suggested Cornwood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
angling by drawing a baited line through the water
From this reading TROLLING FOR BLACK BASS.
the act of using
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
a Caucasian
From this reading "It isn't a proper use to put a white man to."
Chapter 23 of Down South by Oliver Optic holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 23 holds 120 sentences of Down South, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Down South by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 23 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 Down South by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3543 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24554 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24554, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down South section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Down South 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 Down South, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
