Chapter 11 of Downstream is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Downstream is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands: “Yes, but the house ... the boat....” “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....” Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest. His home...!
Chapter 11 of Downstream is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading ““Yes, but the house ... the boat....””
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading “Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading ““Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....””
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
a shaky motion
From this reading “Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:”
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 “Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....””
In this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
In this reading “Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:”
In this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
a familiar term of address for a man
In this reading ““Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....””
In this reading “Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.”
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 Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “Yes, but the house ... the boat....”
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Yes, but the house ... the boat....”
a young person of either sex
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His home...!
where you live at a particular time
From this reading His home...!
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Yes, but the house ... the boat....”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Herman started in alarm, like a child that has been left alone out in the forest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, but the house ... the boat....”
in or at that place or location
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
a shaky motion
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well ... the old boys want the lot, of course....”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Herman sat there pale and with trembling hands:
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, but the house ... the boat....”
Chapter 11 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 11 holds 402 sentences of Downstream, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 11 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.
