Chapter 19 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION. For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp. For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around. But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him. He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
Chapter 19 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 138 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.”
being one more than seventeen
From this reading “For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.”
hold firmly
From this reading “For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.”
straightened out
From this reading “But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.”
third-person singular of “realize” — be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION.”
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading “For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.”
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading “For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.”
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 “For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.”
In this reading “For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.”
In this reading “But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.”
In this reading “But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.”
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 He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
being one more than seventeen
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
hold firmly
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
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 For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
straightened out
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened his eyes and looked bewildered.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION.
third-person singular of “realize” — be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading HARRY REALIZES HIS POSITION.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading For eighteen hours that long, unnatural sleep held our hero in its benumbing grasp.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But at the end of that time sleep loosened its hold upon him.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading For eighteen hours he lay utterly unconscious of what was passing around.
Chapter 19 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 138 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 19 holds 138 sentences of Sink or Swim, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 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 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 Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sink or Swim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Sink or Swim 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 Sink or Swim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
