Chapter 34 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?" He stared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't you?" she returned mockingly. "When you do, you tell me.
Chapter 34 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 196 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"”
terminate
From this reading “After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"”
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading “After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “"Don't you?" she returned mockingly.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “He stared at her.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"I don't know what you're talking about."”
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 After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
later than; following
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stared at her.
terminate
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "When you do, you tell me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stared at her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
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 what you're talking about."
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "When you do, you tell me.
in a disrespectful jeering manner
From this reading "Don't you?" she returned mockingly.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Don't you?" she returned mockingly.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stared at her.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
express in words
From this reading "When you do, you tell me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
at the time that
From this reading "When you do, you tell me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
which person or people
From this reading After a silence which he did not seem inclined to break, "Silas," she asked, "who is 'Mrs. M.'?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't you?" she returned mockingly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know what you're talking about."
Chapter 34 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 196 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 34 holds 196 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 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 196 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 34 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.
