Chapter XXX of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “Precious Freight,” is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXX
Chapter XXX of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “Precious Freight,” is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis. "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph. "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb." "Quick action, now," broke in Slump. "Here, give me a crowbar."
Chapter XXX of Ralph in the Switch Tower, “Precious Freight,” is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “"Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.”
a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge
From this reading “"Here, give me a crowbar."”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.”
brusque and surly and forbidding
From this reading “"Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.”
inflected form of “lug” — carry with difficulty
From this reading “"We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."”
assume a drooping posture or carriage
From this reading “"Quick action, now," broke in Slump.”
plural of “swamp” — low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog
From this reading “"We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."”
not known or well known
From this reading “"Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.”
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 “"Quick action, now," broke in Slump.”
In this reading “"Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.”
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 "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
lacking funds
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge
From this reading "Here, give me a crowbar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Here, give me a crowbar."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
brusque and surly and forbidding
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
inflected form of “lug” — carry with difficulty
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Here, give me a crowbar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
above and across; more than
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
assume a drooping posture or carriage
From this reading "Quick action, now," broke in Slump.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
plural of “swamp” — low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
not known or well known
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "We are about done out lugging these heavy crowbars over swamps and up this steep climb."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Glad of it," growled a gruff, breathless voice, unfamiliar to the listening Ralph.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Here we are!" almost immediately sounded out the tones of Mort Bemis.
Chapter 30 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 30 holds 155 sentences of Ralph in the Switch Tower, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 30 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.
