Chapter 19 of Show Boat is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Show Boat is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She took down her fine long black hair. Brushed it. Plaited it. One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets. She had no other kind.
Chapter 19 of Show Boat is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “Brushed it.”
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
made of or resembling lace
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
past form of “plait” — make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading “Plaited it.”
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
morally degraded
From this reading “One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.”
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 “She took down her fine long black hair.”
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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading Brushed it.
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had no other kind.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Brushed it.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading She had no other kind.
made of or resembling lace
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
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 She took down her fine long black hair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
not any; not one
From this reading She had no other kind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She had no other kind.
past form of “plait” — make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading Plaited it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
a lack of elegance as a consequence of wearing threadbare or dirty clothing
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
morally degraded
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One of the lacy nightgowns so absurd in the sordid shabbiness of the rooming-house bedroom; so alien to the coarse gray sheets.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading She took down her fine long black hair.
Chapter 19 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 19 holds 390 sentences of Show Boat, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Show Boat by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 19 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.
