Chapter 23 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham. "Was there anything much more impressive afterward? I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it. They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten. I don't know that it ever was."
Chapter 23 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “"Was there anything much more impressive afterward?”
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading “They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.”
a town in northwestern Washington on a bay near the Canadian border
From this reading “"I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.”
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “"I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.”
making a strong or vivid impression
From this reading “"Was there anything much more impressive afterward?”
a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
From this reading “I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.”
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.”
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading “I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.”
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 I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
any thing at all
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
a town in northwestern Washington on a bay near the Canadian border
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
at any time
From this reading I don't know that it ever was."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
making a strong or vivid impression
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
the force of workers available
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "I don't know," suggested Charles Bellingham.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They said that death-rate couldn't be beaten.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Was there anything much more impressive afterward?
in or at the place that
From this reading I read of it out in Missouri, where I was stationed at the time, and I recollect the talk of some old army men about it.
Chapter 23 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 205 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 23 holds 205 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 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 205 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 23 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.
