Chapter 5 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And in the other rooms?" "Oh, carpets, of course." "And what about the stairs?" "Carpet. And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
Chapter 5 of The Rise of Silas Lapham 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
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.
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “"Carpet.”
plural of “carpet” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “"Oh, carpets, of course."”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “"Oh, carpets, of course."”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “"And in the other rooms?"”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “"And what about the stairs?"”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."”
a Caucasian
From this reading “And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "And what about the stairs?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And in the other rooms?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading "Carpet.
plural of “carpet” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading "Oh, carpets, of course."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Oh, carpets, of course."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And in the other rooms?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, carpets, of course."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, carpets, of course."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "And in the other rooms?"
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading "And in the other rooms?"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "And what about the stairs?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And in the other rooms?"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what about the stairs?"
a Caucasian
From this reading And I should have the rail and banisters white--banisters turned or twisted."
Chapter 5 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 5 holds 211 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #154 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #154, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rise of Silas Lapham section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Rise of Silas Lapham 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 The Rise of Silas Lapham, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
