Chapter 6 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh no; the architect and mamma did that." "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope. Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion. "It's very exciting," said Irene. "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
Chapter 6 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “"But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.”
someone who creates plans to be used in making something (such as buildings)
From this reading “"Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."”
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading “Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “"It's very exciting," said Irene.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."”
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading “"But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.”
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading “"Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.”
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 Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
someone who creates plans to be used in making something (such as buildings)
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading "It's very exciting," said Irene.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's very exciting," said Irene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's very exciting," said Irene.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
cut with a saw
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh no; the architect and mamma did that."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
precisely as stated
From this reading "It's very exciting," said Irene.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Corey looked at her, and saw that she was shorter than her sister, and had a dark complexion.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
at the time that
From this reading "But they allowed the rest of us to agree, when we were good," said Penelope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come up," said the Colonel, rising, "and look round if you'd like to."
Chapter 6 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 6 holds 195 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 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 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 6 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.
