Chapter 16 of Downstream is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Downstream is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose. There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course. As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small. “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt. And her voice sounded a little malicious.
Chapter 16 of Downstream is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
From this reading “Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.”
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading “Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.”
an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs
From this reading “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
plural of “handkerchief” — a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
having the nature of or resulting from malice
From this reading “And her voice sounded a little malicious.”
plural of “mite” — a slight but appreciable amount
From this reading ““What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.”
a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it
From this reading “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
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 “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
In this reading “And her voice sounded a little malicious.”
In this reading “There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.”
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 There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
plural of “handkerchief” — a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And her voice sounded a little malicious.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And her voice sounded a little malicious.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.
having the nature of or resulting from malice
From this reading And her voice sounded a little malicious.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.
plural of “mite” — a slight but appreciable amount
From this reading “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
move upward
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading And her voice sounded a little malicious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the attendants let go the ropes and the balloon rose.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
precisely as stated
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And her voice sounded a little malicious.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What mites,” said Miss Lähnfeldt.
a Caucasian
From this reading There was a flutter of white handkerchiefs from the dark group below in the grey oval of the cycle course.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading As you know, one need not rise very high before everything down below looks small.
Chapter 16 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 16 holds 414 sentences of Downstream, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 16 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.
