Chapter 18 of Laicus is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Laicus is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Our Prayer-Meeting. ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings. Not that he was recreant in his duty. He performed it only too well. We learned to depend on him.
Chapter 18 of Laicus is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.”
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “We learned to depend on him.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “Not that he was recreant in his duty.”
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading “ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.”
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading “We learned to depend on him.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.”
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading “He performed it only too well.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.”
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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading We learned to depend on him.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We learned to depend on him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He performed it only too well.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading We learned to depend on him.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We learned to depend on him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
and nothing more
From this reading He performed it only too well.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our Prayer-Meeting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading He performed it only too well.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our Prayer-Meeting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
an abject coward
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
a special situation
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We learned to depend on him.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He performed it only too well.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not that he was recreant in his duty.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ONE thing we have gained by losing our pastor-the promise of better prayer-meetings.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He performed it only too well.
Chapter 18 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 18 holds 92 sentences of Laicus, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 18 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 Laicus by Lyman Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4423 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4954, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Laicus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Laicus 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 Laicus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
