Chapter 25 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“THERE, baby!” said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense. Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond! What should I have done?” “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
Chapter 25 of At the Back of the North Wind is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 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.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading ““THERE, baby!””
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading ““I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.”
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!”
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.”
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading ““I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.”
deliver by singing
From this reading “said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.”
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 Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “THERE, baby!”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading What should I have done?”
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What should I have done?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
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 indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
and nothing more
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What should I have done?”
deliver by singing
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading said Diamond; “I'm so happy that I can only sing nonsense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I don't know indeed what you could have done,” said his father from the bed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “THERE, baby!”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What should I have done?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh, father, think if you had been a poor man, and hadn't had a cab and old Diamond!
Chapter 25 of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 25 holds 208 sentences of At the Back of the North Wind, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 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 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 25 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.
