Chapter 28 of Hell on ice is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Hell on ice is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Twenty-five miles further north than when we started! Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow. With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?” “Yes,” he replied mournfully, “sure. Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
Chapter 28 of Hell on ice is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 “altitude” — elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading “Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.”
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading “With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?””
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?””
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading “Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading “Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.”
hanging down (as from exhaustion or weakness)
From this reading “With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?””
United States sociologist (1840-1910)
From this reading “Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.”
being five more than twenty
From this reading “Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!”
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 “Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!”
rest on for support
In this reading “With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?””
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?””
In this reading “Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.”
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 Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
plural of “altitude” — elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
exhale hard
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes,” he replied mournfully, “sure.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
in a mournful manner
From this reading “Yes,” he replied mournfully, “sure.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes,” he replied mournfully, “sure.
hanging down (as from exhaustion or weakness)
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
United States sociologist (1840-1910)
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
being five more than twenty
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two meridian altitudes of the sun and a couple of Sumner lines and they all check.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Coming on top of all else, that was a knockout blow.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
a long narrow boat designed for quick turning and use in rough seas
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
at the time that
From this reading Twenty-five miles further north than when we started!
in the company of; together with
From this reading With sagging knees, I leaned against the gunwale of the whaleboat, looked at the haggard captain, asked faintly, “Sure?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” he replied mournfully, “sure.
Chapter 28 of Hell on ice by Edward Ellsberg holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 28 holds 91 sentences of Hell on ice, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Hell on ice by Edward Ellsberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 28 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 Hell on ice by Edward Ellsberg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72716 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72716, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hell on ice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Hell on ice 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 Hell on ice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
