Chapter 39 of The Raft is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Raft is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the longest day in June. The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters. On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled. Walls were stripped bare. A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
Chapter 39 of The Raft is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
plural of “disinfectant” — an agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease
From this reading “A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.”
of the color between blue and yellow in the color spectrum; similar to the color of fresh grass
From this reading “The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.”
for the most time
From this reading “It was the longest day in June.”
plural of “slat” — a thin strip (wood or metal)
From this reading “The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.”
past form of “sprinkle” — distribute loosely
From this reading “On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.”
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading “The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.”
V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service
From this reading “The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.”
covered or furnished with tiles
From this reading “On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.”
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 “The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.”
the policy of granting equal trade opportunities to all countries
In this reading “A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.”
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 A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
completely unclothed
From this reading Walls were stripped bare.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
plural of “disinfectant” — an agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
of the color between blue and yellow in the color spectrum; similar to the color of fresh grass
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
for the most time
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
inflected form of “pin” — to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading A sheet, dipped in disinfectants, was pinned across the open door.
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
plural of “slat” — a thin strip (wood or metal)
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
past form of “sprinkle” — distribute loosely
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
having only essential or minimal features
From this reading Walls were stripped bare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
covered or furnished with tiles
From this reading On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Walls were stripped bare.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the longest day in June.
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 On the tiled floor water had been sprinkled.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Walls were stripped bare.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The room was stifling, filled with greenish light which fell in stripes through the slats of the closed shutters.
Chapter 39 of The Raft by Coningsby Dawson holds 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 39 holds 351 sentences of The Raft, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Raft by Coningsby Dawson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 39 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 Raft by Coningsby Dawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13021 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50498 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50498, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2605 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Raft section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Raft 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 Raft, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
