Chapter 12 of Downstream is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Downstream is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She switched on the light. The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy. She sat down at her dressing table. In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn. It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
Chapter 12 of Downstream is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the best people or things in a group
From this reading “The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.”
comparative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.”
close or warm friendship
From this reading “The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.”
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading “In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.”
the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort
From this reading “In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.”
a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
From this reading “In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.”
past form of “switch” — change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “She switched on the light.”
comparative of “white” — being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light
From this reading “It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.”
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.
low table with mirror or mirrors where one sits while dressing or applying makeup
In this reading “She sat down at her dressing table.”
cause to operate by flipping a switch
In this reading “She switched on the light.”
In this reading “In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.”
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 In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
like a coquette
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
the best people or things in a group
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
comparative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
close or warm friendship
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She switched on the light.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cream coloured blind completed the circle of coquettish intimacy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She switched on the light.
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
cut with a saw
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She switched on the light.
not in physical motion
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
past form of “switch” — change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading She switched on the light.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading She sat down at her dressing table.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She switched on the light.
(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 It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the mirror she saw a face which still retained the seaside sunburn.
comparative of “white” — being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light
From this reading It suited her well, made her hair still fairer and her teeth whiter.
Chapter 12 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 12 holds 407 sentences of Downstream, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 12 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.
