Chapter 23 of Laicus is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Laicus is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus. MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister. He wants it to put in his book. "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book. I never wrote anything for print in my life.
Chapter 23 of Laicus is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.”
a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause
From this reading “Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.”
an organization to gain political power
From this reading “Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.”
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading “I never wrote anything for print in my life.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.”
produce a literary work
From this reading “MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “I never wrote anything for print in my life.”
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 "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
any thing at all
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I never wrote anything for print in my life.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never wrote anything for print in my life.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Our Donation Party--by Jane Laicus.
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading I never wrote anything for print in my life.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He wants it to put in his book.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, John," said I, "I can't write anything for a book.
produce a literary work
From this reading MY husband wants me to write an account of the donation we gave our new minister.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading I never wrote anything for print in my life.
Chapter 23 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 23 holds 169 sentences of Laicus, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 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.
