Chapter 21 of The river is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The river is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about. He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river? There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him! Why, the building was deserted! Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
Chapter 21 of The river is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading “He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?”
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “Why, the building was deserted!”
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!”
inflected form of “prophesy” — predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
From this reading “Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.”
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading “THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.”
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading “THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.”
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 PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.”
In this reading “There was no one at the offices of the company to report to 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Why, the building was deserted!
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Why, the building was deserted!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
the literary culture
From this reading Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
inflected form of “prophesy” — predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
From this reading Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading Ogilvie’s letters had prophesied ruin.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no one at the offices of the company to report to him!
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE PASSING OF THE WATERS BABCOCK came rushing down from Los Angeles that morning to see what in thunder it was all about.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He asked every one he met why some one didn’t get busy and stop the cutting back of that river?
Chapter 21 of The river by Ednah Aiken holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 21 holds 223 sentences of The river, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The river by Ednah Aiken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 21 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 river by Ednah Aiken 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 The river section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The river 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 river, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
