Chapter 25 of Ralph in the Switch Tower is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Ralph in the Switch Tower is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ralph ran towards the grape trellis. He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned. It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building. Soon he had it set in place and balanced. He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
Chapter 25 of Ralph in the Switch Tower is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
being in a state of proper equilibrium
From this reading “Soon he had it set in place and balanced.”
in an accurate manner
From this reading “He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.”
any of various juicy fruit of the genus Vitis with green or purple skins; grow in clusters
From this reading “Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.”
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.”
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading “It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.”
lie obliquely
From this reading “He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.”
latticework used to support climbing plants
From this reading “Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.”
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 “It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.”
a woman who is old
In this reading “He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.”
In this reading “Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
being in a state of proper equilibrium
From this reading Soon he had it set in place and balanced.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
the act of burning something
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
in an accurate manner
From this reading He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
set up or found
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
any of various juicy fruit of the genus Vitis with green or purple skins; grow in clusters
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Soon he had it set in place and balanced.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
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 It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Soon he had it set in place and balanced.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Soon he had it set in place and balanced.
lie obliquely
From this reading He had guessed at the proper slant correctly.
in the near future
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
in the direction of
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
latticework used to support climbing plants
From this reading Ralph ran towards the grape trellis.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was long and quite heavy, but seizing one end he dragged it towards the burning building.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading He soon found the ladder the old woman had mentioned.
Chapter 25 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 25 holds 103 sentences of Ralph in the Switch Tower, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 25 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.
