Chapter 23 of Down the River is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Down the River is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLARENCE BRADFORD. "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room. He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her. I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him. "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
Chapter 23 of Down the River is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
United States printer (born in England) whose press produced the first American prayer book and the New York City's first newspaper (1663-1752)
From this reading “CLARENCE BRADFORD.”
to strive with determination
From this reading “"Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?”
a closed carriage with four wheels and seats for four passengers
From this reading “CLARENCE BRADFORD.”
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading “He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.”
-ing form of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area
From this reading “"Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?”
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading “"My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.”
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading “I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
later than; following
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
(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 "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
United States printer (born in England) whose press produced the first American prayer book and the New York City's first newspaper (1663-1752)
From this reading CLARENCE BRADFORD.
to strive with determination
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.
a closed carriage with four wheels and seats for four passengers
From this reading CLARENCE BRADFORD.
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
past form of “embrace” — include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
-ing form of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
with speed
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He sprang to her chair, and embraced and kissed her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "My dear little Flora!" exclaimed Clarence, as he glanced from me to her, after he entered the room.
not possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Buck!" he added, extending his hand to me, "what does all this mean?
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading I perceived that he was winking rapidly, as though an unmanly weakness was getting possession of him.
Chapter 23 of Down the River by Oliver Optic holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 132 sentences of Down the River, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Down the River by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 the River by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3858 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the River section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Down the River 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 River, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
