Chapter 17 of South Wind is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of South Wind is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again. An excellent habit. It did him good, this physical contact with nature. Africa had weakened his constitution. Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
Chapter 17 of South Wind is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading “Africa had weakened his constitution.”
immersing the body in water or sunshine
From this reading “And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.”
law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
From this reading “Africa had weakened his constitution.”
close interaction
From this reading “It did him good, this physical contact with nature.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.”
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading “It did him good, this physical contact with nature.”
lighted by sunlight
From this reading “And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.”
impaired by diminution
From this reading “Africa had weakened his constitution.”
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.
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading Africa had weakened his constitution.
anew
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An excellent habit.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
immersing the body in water or sunshine
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
From this reading Africa had weakened his constitution.
close interaction
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
the first light of day
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading An excellent habit.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
an established custom
From this reading An excellent habit.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Africa had weakened his constitution.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Africa had weakened his constitution.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
on one occasion
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
lighted by sunlight
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now, in the sunlit hour of dawn, he was bathing again.
impaired by diminution
From this reading Africa had weakened his constitution.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It did him good, this physical contact with nature.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading Nepenthe made him feel younger once more--capable of fun and mischief.
Chapter 17 of South Wind by Norman Douglas holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 17 holds 286 sentences of South Wind, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of South Wind by Norman Douglas exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 South Wind by Norman Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4508 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4508, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1916 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through South Wind section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of South 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 South Wind, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
