Chapter 21 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother. “Isn't it nice, mother?” he said. “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered. “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
Chapter 21 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 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.
plural of “blunder” — an embarrassing mistake
From this reading “DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.”
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading ““I think it means something,” returned Diamond.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading ““Isn't it nice, mother?””
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading ““Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading ““I think it means something,” returned Diamond.”
correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
From this reading “DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.
plural of “blunder” — an embarrassing mistake
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Isn't it nice, mother?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Isn't it nice, mother?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Isn't it nice, mother?”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I think it means something,” returned Diamond.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
in the company of; together with
From this reading DIAMOND managed with many blunders to read this rhyme to his mother.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, it's pretty,” she answered.
Chapter 21 of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 21 holds 180 sentences of At the Back of the North Wind, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 21 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 At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6064 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #225 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #225, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through At the Back of the North Wind section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of At the Back of the North Wind 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 At the Back of the North Wind, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
