Chapter 32 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it. "Look at the stock we've got on hand. There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now! And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever. Well, it's his pride.
Chapter 32 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading “And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.”
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading “Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.”
involving half the standard or customary time for an activity
From this reading “And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.”
process or result of becoming less or smaller
From this reading “There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!”
the act of closing something
From this reading “And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.”
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading “"Look at the stock we've got on hand.”
New Zealand runner who in 1975 became the first person to run a mile in less that 3 minutes and 50 seconds (born in 1952)
From this reading “Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.”
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading “And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
at any time
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
every person
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
the act of departing
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
involving half the standard or customary time for an activity
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Well, it's his pride.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, it's his pride.
and nothing more
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading Well, it's his pride.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
Identical; not different.
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
process or result of becoming less or smaller
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
the act of closing something
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
up to a particular time
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There's going to be an awful shrinkage on that, now!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
New Zealand runner who in 1975 became the first person to run a mile in less that 3 minutes and 50 seconds (born in 1952)
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Look at the stock we've got on hand.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, it's his pride.
at the time that
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Walker could not rest till he had developed the whole situation, so far as he knew it.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading And when everybody is shutting down, or running half-time, the works up at Lapham are going full chip, just the same as ever.
Chapter 32 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 32 holds 183 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 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 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 32 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.
