Chapter 17 of Show Boat is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Show Boat is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal. “Even the horses run at the thought. I hope this will be a lesson to you.” He gathered up the reins. “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
Chapter 17 of Show Boat is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
a female actor
From this reading ““A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.””
brought together in one place
From this reading “He gathered up the reins.”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading ““That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading ““Even the horses run at the thought.”
a unit of instruction
From this reading “I hope this will be a lesson to you.””
a human being
From this reading ““A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.””
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading “He gathered up the reins.”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading ““That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.”
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.
to consider or examine in speech or writing
In this reading ““That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.”
In this reading ““That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.”
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 I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
a female actor
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Even the horses run at the thought.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
divisible by two
From this reading “Even the horses run at the thought.
brought together in one place
From this reading He gathered up the reins.
the act of departing
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He gathered up the reins.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “Even the horses run at the thought.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
a unit of instruction
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
a human being
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading He gathered up the reins.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “Even the horses run at the thought.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Even the horses run at the thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He gathered up the reins.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
at the time that
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I hope this will be a lesson to you.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “A person would think I’d never been an actress and knew nothing of the stage.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “That’s what happens when you talk about going on the stage,” said Ravenal.
Chapter 17 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 398 sentences of Show Boat, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Show Boat by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Show Boat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Show Boat 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 Show Boat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
