Chapter 15 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately." "In stocks? When did you take up gambling for a living?" "Gambling? Stuff!
Chapter 15 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
From this reading “When did you take up gambling for a living?"”
in the recent past
From this reading “"Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."”
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading “When did you take up gambling for a living?"”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “"Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."”
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading “"Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “Stuff!”
carry out
From this reading “When did you take up gambling for a living?"”
a special situation
From this reading “"Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."”
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 "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
in the recent past
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading Stuff!
carry out
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
a special situation
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Oh, I've made a very good thing in stocks lately."
at the time that
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When did you take up gambling for a living?"
Chapter 15 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 15 holds 202 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 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 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 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.
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.
