Chapter 36 of North and South is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of North and South is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SOMETHING WANTING. “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.” MRS. BROWNING. About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
Chapter 36 of North and South is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)
From this reading “BROWNING.”
a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three strings
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
plural of “harmony” — compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading “About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.”
a league of teams that do not belong to a major league (especially baseball)
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
third-person singular of “unfold” — develop or come to a promising stage
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading ““Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.””
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 “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)
From this reading BROWNING.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three strings
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
plural of “harmony” — compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
a female domestic
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
a league of teams that do not belong to a major league (especially baseball)
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading SOMETHING WANTING.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading About this time Dixon returned from Milton, and assumed her post as Margaret’s maid.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
third-person singular of “unfold” — develop or come to a promising stage
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
nonexistent
From this reading SOMETHING WANTING.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
Chapter 36 of North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 36 holds 76 sentences of North and South, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 36 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.
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Yes. All 10039 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4276 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4276, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2008 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through North and South section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of North and South 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 North and South, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
