Chapter 14 of Main Street is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Main Street is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHE was marching home. “No. I couldn't fall in love with him. I like him, very much. But he's too much of a recluse. Could I kiss him?
Chapter 14 of Main Street is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading ““No. I couldn't fall in love with him.”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “SHE was marching home.”
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “Could I kiss him?”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I like him, very much.”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading ““No. I couldn't fall in love with him.”
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading “SHE was marching home.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “I like him, very much.”
one who lives in solitude
From this reading “But he's too much of a recluse.”
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 But he's too much of a recluse.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he's too much of a recluse.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could I kiss him?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But he's too much of a recluse.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading SHE was marching home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading Could I kiss him?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I like him, very much.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading SHE was marching home.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I like him, very much.
not any; not one
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But he's too much of a recluse.
one who lives in solitude
From this reading But he's too much of a recluse.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SHE was marching home.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But he's too much of a recluse.
precisely as stated
From this reading I like him, very much.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SHE was marching home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “No. I couldn't fall in love with him.
Chapter 14 of Main Street by Sinclair Lewis holds 517 sentences, grouped into 104 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 14 holds 517 sentences of Main Street, unabridged, divided into 104 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Main Street by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 517 sentences, grouped into 104 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 104 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 104 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 14 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 Main Street by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11763 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #543 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #543, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Main Street section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Main Street 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 Main Street, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
