Chapter 23 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ASCENDING THE ATCHAFALAYA. Atchafalaya River, Feb. 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it. Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods. We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
Chapter 23 of The Houseboat Book is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
made more severe or intense especially in law
From this reading “Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.”
moving or going or growing upward
From this reading “ASCENDING THE ATCHAFALAYA.”
coming down or downward
From this reading “4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.”
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “Atchafalaya River, Feb.”
plural of “flood” — the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading “Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.”
set up or found
From this reading “Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.”
capable of being perceived by the mind or senses
From this reading “4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.”
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading “Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.”
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 “We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.”
In this reading “Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.”
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 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
made more severe or intense especially in law
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
moving or going or growing upward
From this reading ASCENDING THE ATCHAFALAYA.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ASCENDING THE ATCHAFALAYA.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
coming down or downward
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading Atchafalaya River, Feb.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
plural of “flood” — the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
set up or found
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
capable of being perceived by the mind or senses
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading Our gallant little launch finds the cabinboat a difficult proposition against the current, as aggravated by the rising floods.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Atchafalaya River, Feb.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ASCENDING THE ATCHAFALAYA.
in or at that place or location
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
bound or secured closely
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
precisely as stated
From this reading 4, 1904.--There is a very perceptible difference between descending a river and ascending it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
the day immediately before today
From this reading We made but a few miles yesterday and tied up for the night.
Chapter 23 of The Houseboat Book by W. F. (William Francis) Waugh holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 23 holds 72 sentences of The Houseboat Book, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Houseboat Book by W. F. (William Francis) Waugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 23 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.
