Chapter 38 of Main Street is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Main Street is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHE had lived in Washington for a year. She was tired of the office. It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous. She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie. Four debutantes clattered in.
Chapter 38 of Main Street is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
willing to undertake or seeking out new and daring enterprises
From this reading “It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.”
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading “She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.”
aromatic bark used as a spice
From this reading “She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.”
plural of “debutante” — a young woman making her debut into society
From this reading “Four debutantes clattered in.”
the work of cleaning and running a house
From this reading “It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.”
make brown and crisp by heating
From this reading “She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.”
capable of being borne or endured
From this reading “It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “SHE had lived in Washington for a year.”
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 SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
willing to undertake or seeking out new and daring enterprises
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
Having no one else present.
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
aromatic bark used as a spice
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Four debutantes clattered in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
plural of “debutante” — a young woman making her debut into society
From this reading Four debutantes clattered in.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Four debutantes clattered in.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
the work of cleaning and running a house
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was tired of the office.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading She was tired of the office.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was tired of the office.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading She was tired of the office.
make brown and crisp by heating
From this reading She was having tea and cinnamon toast, alone at a small round table on the balcony of Rauscher's Confiserie.
capable of being borne or endured
From this reading It was tolerable, far more tolerable than housework, but it was not adventurous.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was tired of the office.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading SHE had lived in Washington for a year.
Chapter 38 of Main Street by Sinclair Lewis holds 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 38 holds 322 sentences of Main Street, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Main Street by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 38 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.
