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Laughing Last
Laughing Last

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Laughing Last is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Laughing Last
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!
Now, ain't that exciting!
And you never been there before, y'say?"
Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.
Her face perceptibly brightened.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Laughing Last

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Laughing Last is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!
Line 2
Now, ain't that exciting!
Line 3
And you never been there before, y'say?"
Line 4
Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.
/ˈsɪdni ˈnɑːdəd ˈsɪtɪŋ ˈveri streɪt ɑːn ðə siːt hɜːr hænd kloʊzd ˈtaɪtli ˈoʊvər hɜːr pɜːrs wɪtʃ kənˈteɪnd ɔːl ðæt wɑːz left ʌv ðə eɡ ˈæftər ˈpɜːrtʃəsɪŋ hɜːr ˈtɪkəts/
Line 5
Her face perceptibly brightened.

Learner Dictionary

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.

brightened verb US /ˈbraɪtənd/

past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading “Her face perceptibly brightened.”

Egg noun US /eɡ/

animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

exciting adjective US /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/

creating or arousing excitement

From this reading “Now, ain't that exciting!”

purchasing noun US /ˈpɜːrtʃəsɪŋ/

the act of buying

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

purse noun US /pɜːrs/

a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

Sidney noun US /ˈsɪdni/

English poet (1554-1586)

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

tickets noun US /ˈtɪkəts/

plural of “ticket” — a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something (as to ride on public transportation or to enter a public entertainment)

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

tightly adverb US /ˈtaɪtli/

in a tight or constricted manner

From this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

on the seat preposition + article + noun counted as “on … seat”

In this reading “Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.”

COME TRUE verb + adjective

In this reading “WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now, ain't that exciting!

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

brightenedverbUS /ˈbraɪtənd/

past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading Her face perceptibly brightened.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

CapenounUS /keɪp/

a strip of land projecting into a body of water

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

COMEverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

cruisin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

DREAMSnounUS /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

EggnounUS /eɡ/

animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

excitingadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/

creating or arousing excitement

From this reading Now, ain't that exciting!

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Her face perceptibly brightened.

Goshen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

LandnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now, ain't that exciting!

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

perceptiblyadverb

in a noticeable manner

From this reading Her face perceptibly brightened.

purchasingnounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəsɪŋ/

the act of buying

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

pursenounUS /pɜːrs/

a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

seatnounUS /siːt/

a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

SidneynounUS /ˈsɪdni/

English poet (1554-1586)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

straightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Now, ain't that exciting!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

ticketsnounUS /ˈtɪkəts/

plural of “ticket” — a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something (as to ride on public transportation or to enter a public entertainment)

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

tightlyadverbUS /ˈtaɪtli/

in a tight or constricted manner

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

TRUEadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

WHENconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets.

y'say

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And you never been there before, y'say?"

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

you're

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE "Land O' Goshen, you don't tell me you're cruisin' down to the Cape all by yourself!

Chapter 7 of Laughing Last by Jane Abbott holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 7 of Laughing Last contain?

Chapter 7 holds 211 sentences of Laughing Last, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Laughing Last by Jane Abbott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of Laughing Last?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

Questions about reading Laughing Last

Common questions about reading Laughing Last by Jane Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Laughing Last?

Yes. All 4412 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Laughing Last is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #46458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Laughing Last take to read?

About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Laughing Last section by section

How to work through Laughing Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Laughing Last to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Laughing Last

Words and structures a reader meets early in Laughing Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pardon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Laughing Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Laughing Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pairs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Laughing Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Swept
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Laughing Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.