Chapter 17 of Downstream is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Downstream is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before. Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders. “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said. “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend. Thus they separated.
Chapter 17 of Downstream is here in full — 412 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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading ““That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.”
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading ““That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading ““That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.”
inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.”
compacted by ironing
From this reading ““That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.”
being or feeling set or kept apart from others
From this reading “Thus they separated.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.”
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.”
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 “Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.”
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 Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
engage in
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
compacted by ironing
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
being or feeling set or kept apart from others
From this reading Thus they separated.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thus they separated.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus they separated.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Manne had never been known to make so long a speech before.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Stellan stood up and patted him on the shoulders.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “That’s right ... ready for a rest,” muttered Manne, and gave Stellan a hand which at first was limp, but afterwards pressed hard the hand of his friend.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “My dear Manne, now you are ready for a rest,” he said.
Chapter 17 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz holds 412 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 17 holds 412 sentences of Downstream, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Downstream by Sigfrid Siwertz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 17 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.
