Chapter 3 of Down the Rhine is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Down the Rhine is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A GATHERING STORM. "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal. "Go to sea!" exclaimed Mr. Lowington. "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine." "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
Chapter 3 of Down the Rhine is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
a branch of knowledge
From this reading “"I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.”
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading “A GATHERING STORM.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “"Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."”
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading “"Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.”
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading “"Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.”
United States parapsychologist (1895-1980)
From this reading “"Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."”
plural of “shuffle” — the act of mixing cards haphazardly
From this reading “"Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “A GATHERING STORM.”
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 A GATHERING STORM.
(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 "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
a branch of knowledge
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Go to sea!" exclaimed Mr. Lowington.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading A GATHERING STORM.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
United States parapsychologist (1895-1980)
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
transport commercially
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
plural of “shuffle” — the act of mixing cards haphazardly
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading A GATHERING STORM.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
at the time that
From this reading "Mr. Lowington, I should like to go to sea for a day or two," said Captain Shuffles, when he had obtained the ear of the principal.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I am not at all satisfied with the discipline of the ship," answered the new captain.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, I thought you were all in a hurry to go down the Rhine."
Chapter 3 of Down the Rhine by Oliver Optic holds 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 3 holds 235 sentences of Down the Rhine, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Down the Rhine by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 3 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 the Rhine by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5315 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24124 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24124, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 442 minutes of reading across 1063 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the Rhine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Down the Rhine 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 the Rhine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
