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New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million
New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million is here in full — 528 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George Lippard • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million
Context Illustration Reading 1/105 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.
It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.
"The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.
"Can it be Evelyn?
Oh!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million is here in full — 528 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/105 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.
/ɪn ðə haʊs ʌv ðə ˈmɜːr.tʃənt prɪns/
Line 2
It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.
Line 3
"The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.
Line 4
"Can it be Evelyn?
Line 5
Oh!
/oʊ/

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.

candle noun US /ˈkændəl/

stick of wax with a wick in the middle

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
December noun US /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eleven adjective US /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
labors noun US /ˈleɪbərz/

plural of “labor” — a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading “"The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
merchant noun US /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading “IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.”

Velmora curated lexicon
ringing noun US /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/

the sound of a bell ringing

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Sen noun US /sen/

a fractional monetary unit of Japan and Indonesia and Cambodia; equal to one hundredth of a yen or rupiah or riel

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shaded adjective US /ˈʃeɪdɪd/

protected from heat and light with shade or shadow

From this reading “It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

MERCHANT PRINCE noun + noun

In this reading “IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.”

270 times in 426,211 chapters
low forehead adjective + noun

In this reading “"The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.”

456 times in 426,211 chapters
shone full verb + adjective counted as “shine full”

In this reading “"The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.”

743 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 51

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.

1844

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Pending verification
23

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Pending verification
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Can it be Evelyn?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "Can it be Evelyn?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
candlenounUS /ˈkændəl/

stick of wax with a wick in the middle

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DecembernounUS /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
door-bell

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

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Pending verification
ejaculated

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

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Pending verification
elevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Evelyn

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Pending verification
featuresnounUS /ˈfiːtʃərz/

plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foreheadnounUS /ˈfɔːrhed/

the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HOUSEnounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
laborsnounUS /ˈleɪbərz/

plural of “labor” — a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
librarynounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MERCHANTnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/

A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

Velmora curated lexicon
nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PRINCEnounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/

the sound of a bell ringing

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SennounUS /sen/

a fractional monetary unit of Japan and Indonesia and Cambodia; equal to one hundredth of a yen or rupiah or riel

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shadedadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪdɪd/

protected from heat and light with shade or shadow

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shoneverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Somers

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Pending verification
startledadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtəld/

excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE HOUSE OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora curated lexicon
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading "The front door-bell!" he ejaculated, looking up from his labors, until the candle shone full upon his thin features and low forehead.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It was near eleven o'clock, on the night of December 23d, 1844, when Evelyn Somers, Sen., sitting in his library by the light of the shaded candle, was startled by the ringing of the bell.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million by George Lippard holds 528 sentences, grouped into 106 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 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million contain?

Chapter 15 holds 528 sentences of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million by George Lippard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 528 sentences, grouped into 106 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 15 of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million?

Work through the 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 106 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 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million

Common questions about reading New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million by George Lippard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 10050 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57785 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #57785, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 2010 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million

Words and structures a reader meets early in New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Upper
A word that appears in the opening chapter of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lower
A word that appears in the opening chapter of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Million
A word that appears in the opening chapter of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.