Chapter 17 of John March, Southerner is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of John March, Southerner is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good-by," replied the maiden. "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is! Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?" "Why, that depends. It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
Chapter 17 of John March, Southerner is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
From this reading “"Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!”
third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “"Why, that depends.”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “"Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!”
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading “"Good-by," replied the maiden.”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"”
a full supply
From this reading “It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."”
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 "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
third-person singular of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading "Why, that depends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
a farewell remark
From this reading "Good-by," replied the maiden.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading "Good-by," replied the maiden.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
a full supply
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Good-by," replied the maiden.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's got plenty of po-ten-ti-al-i-ty if you give it its old sig-nif-i-ca-tion."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Why, that depends.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Good-by," replied the maiden.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
wanting in physical strength
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, that depends.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "Miss Barb"--he kept her hand--"I want a word, and, honestly--I--don't know what it is!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Doesn't good-by seem to you mighty weak, by itself?"
Chapter 17 of John March, Southerner by George Washington Cable holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 17 holds 405 sentences of John March, Southerner, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of John March, Southerner by George Washington Cable exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 17 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 John March, Southerner by George Washington Cable on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31470 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31470, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1758 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John March, Southerner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of John March, Southerner 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 John March, Southerner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
