Chapter 18 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope. "No; I know he hasn't. But if he--if he should?" "Then I should think he wanted to." "Oh, would you--WOULD you?
Chapter 18 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 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.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
(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 “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “"Then I should think he wanted to."”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"Then I should think he wanted to."”
but in spite of that
From this reading “"He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.”
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 "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if he--if he should?"
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No; I know he hasn't.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if he--if he should?"
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "No; I know he hasn't.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; I know he hasn't.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, would you--WOULD you?
(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 "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But if he--if he should?"
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then I should think he wanted to."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Then I should think he wanted to."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Then I should think he wanted to."
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Then I should think he wanted to."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Oh, would you--WOULD you?
but in spite of that
From this reading "He hasn't kept coming a great deal, yet," suggested Penelope.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, would you--WOULD you?
Chapter 18 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 18 holds 197 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 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 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 18 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.
