Chapter 10 of Laughing Last is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Laughing Last is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters. "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting. My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's. The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness. Thus they are still speeding.
Chapter 10 of Laughing Last is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “"Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.”
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading “MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.”
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading “My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.”
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading “MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.”
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.”
inflected form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading “The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.”
changing location rapidly
From this reading “Thus they are still speeding.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.”
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 “My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.”
In this reading “MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.”
In this reading “The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.”
In this reading “The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
(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 hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Thus they are still speeding.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
for the reason that
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
dearly loved
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
a social unit living together
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
inflected form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
changing location rapidly
From this reading Thus they are still speeding.
not in physical motion
From this reading Thus they are still speeding.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thus they are still speeding.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus they are still speeding.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading The hours of my journey, all too short, sped on wings of happiness.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading "Dear Family: "I have not written before because everything is so marvellously exciting.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading MAIDS And later Sidney wrote the following letter to her sisters.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading My telegram told you that I had arrived safely at Cousin Achsa's.
Chapter 10 of Laughing Last by Jane Abbott holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 10 holds 114 sentences of Laughing Last, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Laughing Last by Jane Abbott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 10 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 Laughing Last by Jane Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4412 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Laughing Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Laughing Last 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 Laughing Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
