Chapter 8 of Downstream is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Downstream is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Herman reproached himself. “I have not behaved properly,” he thought. “I have been too rough and hasty.” And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer. Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
Chapter 8 of Downstream is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
plural of “amusement” — a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.”
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading ““I have not behaved properly,” he thought.”
excessively quick
From this reading ““I have been too rough and hasty.””
past form of “heap” — bestow in large quantities
From this reading “Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.”
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading “Herman reproached himself.”
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading “Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading ““I have not behaved properly,” he thought.”
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading “And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““I have not behaved properly,” he thought.”
anew
In this reading “And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.”
In this reading “And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.”
In this reading “Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.”
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 And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
plural of “amusement” — a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I have been too rough and hasty.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I have been too rough and hasty.”
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
being attentive to women like an ideal knight
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
clothing in general
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
excessively quick
From this reading “I have been too rough and hasty.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
past form of “heap” — bestow in large quantities
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading Herman reproached himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Herman reproached himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
immediately past
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
for more time
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
not any; not one
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
on one occasion
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Herman reproached himself.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading “I have been too rough and hasty.”
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I have not behaved properly,” he thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “I have been too rough and hasty.”
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then he heaped amusements, jewels, and pretty clothes upon her.
during the time that
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading And then once more he played the chivalrous fiancé for a while, and tried to get her out in the yacht as he did last summer, but no! the lake amused her no longer.
Chapter 8 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 8 holds 395 sentences of Downstream, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 8 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 Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60685 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60685, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Downstream section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Downstream 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 Downstream, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
