Chapter 12 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAIRO AND THE OHIO. Cairo, Ill., Dec. 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio. The water is yellower than the Mississippi. We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
Chapter 12 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 town at the southern tip of Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
From this reading “CAIRO AND THE OHIO.”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “Cairo, Ill., Dec.”
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “The water is yellower than the Mississippi.”
a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading “We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “CAIRO AND THE OHIO.”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.”
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading “3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.”
comparative of “yellow” — of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading “The water is yellower than the Mississippi.”
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 “3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.”
In this reading “3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.”
In this reading “We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CAIRO AND THE OHIO.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
a town at the southern tip of Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
From this reading CAIRO AND THE OHIO.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading Cairo, Ill., Dec.
divisible by two
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Cairo, Ill., Dec.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The water is yellower than the Mississippi.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading The water is yellower than the Mississippi.
a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading CAIRO AND THE OHIO.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The water is yellower than the Mississippi.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CAIRO AND THE OHIO.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
bound or secured closely
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
a source of difficulty
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The water is yellower than the Mississippi.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 3, 1903.--We ran in here Thursday afternoon, and the little steamer had some trouble in pulling us against the current of the Ohio.
a fee charged for the use of a wharf or quay
From this reading We tied up below town, as we hear that they charge $5.00 wharfage for mooring, or even making a landing in the city.
comparative of “yellow” — of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading The water is yellower than the Mississippi.
Chapter 12 of The Houseboat Book by W. F. (William Francis) Waugh holds 151 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 12 holds 151 sentences of The Houseboat Book, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Houseboat Book by W. F. (William Francis) Waugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 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 12 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 The Houseboat Book by W. F. (William Francis) Waugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2116 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44656 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44656, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 176 minutes of reading across 424 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Houseboat Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Houseboat Book 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 The Houseboat Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
