Chapter XXII of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Headstrong Friend,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXII of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Headstrong Friend,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes. He felt that he had been in the peril of his life. He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin. "You came in time," said he. "How shall I ever thank you?"
Chapter XXII of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “A Headstrong Friend,” is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading “He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.”
a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
From this reading “He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"How shall I ever thank you?"”
past form of “transpire” — pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas
From this reading “Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.”
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 “Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.”
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 He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
(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 Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You came in time," said he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
at any time
From this reading "How shall I ever thank you?"
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How shall I ever thank you?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How shall I ever thank you?"
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
immediately past
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading He felt that he had been in the peril of his life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You came in time," said he.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "How shall I ever thank you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He bestowed a look of immense gratitude on Slavin.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "How shall I ever thank you?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You came in time," said he.
past form of “transpire” — pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ralph was faint and dizzy-headed with all that had transpired in the last twenty minutes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You came in time," said he.
Chapter 22 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 22 holds 139 sentences of Ralph in the Switch Tower, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 22 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 Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4008 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 802 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ralph in the Switch Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Ralph in the Switch Tower 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 Ralph in the Switch Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
