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The Rise of Silas Lapham
The Rise of Silas Lapham

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
XIX.
"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.
"Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.
But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!
Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Rise of Silas Lapham

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
XIX.
Line 2
"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.
Line 3
"Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.
/jes hiː tɔːkt sens ʃiː ədˈmɪtɪd/
Line 4
But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!
/bʌt ʃiː ˈædəd ˈbɪtərli aɪ ɡes ɪf hiː hæd ɪt tuː duː/
Line 5
Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

Learner Dictionary

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.

admitted verb US /ədˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of

From this reading “"Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.”

bitterly adverb US /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading “But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!”

buggy noun US /ˈbʌɡi/

a small lightweight carriage; drawn by a single horse

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

drove noun US /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

dusk noun US /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

homeward adverb US /ˈhoʊmwərd/

toward home

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

mounted adjective US /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

wife's noun US /waɪfs/

possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading “"HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

admittedverbUS /ədˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of

From this reading "Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

buggynounUS /ˈbʌɡi/

a small lightweight carriage; drawn by a single horse

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

DOauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

drovenounUS /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

dusknounUS /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

gentlyadverbUS /ˈdʒentli/

in a gradual manner

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

HEpronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

he's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

homewardadverbUS /ˈhoʊmwərd/

toward home

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But she added bitterly, "I guess, if he had it to DO!

it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

Lapham

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

mountedadjectiveUS /ˈmaʊntəd/

assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

Persis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading Oh, he's right, and it's got to be done.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

talkedverbUS /tɔːkt/

past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

wife'snounUS /waɪfs/

possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading "HE talked sense, Persis," said Lapham gently, as he mounted to his wife's side in the buggy and drove slowly homeward through the dusk.

XIXnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one

From this reading XIX.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, he talked sense," she admitted.

Chapter 28 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 203 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.

What does chapter 28 of The Rise of Silas Lapham contain?

Chapter 28 holds 203 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 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 203 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of The Rise of Silas Lapham?

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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading The Rise of Silas Lapham

Common questions about reading The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Rise of Silas Lapham?

Yes. All 8158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #154 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Rise of Silas Lapham is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #154, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Rise of Silas Lapham take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Rise of Silas Lapham section by section

How to work through The Rise of Silas Lapham section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Rise of Silas Lapham to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Rise of Silas Lapham

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Rise of Silas Lapham, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bartley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rise of Silas Lapham; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hubbard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rise of Silas Lapham; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Interview
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rise of Silas Lapham; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Silas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Rise of Silas Lapham; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.