Chapter 17 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring. The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate. Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet. Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation. But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
Chapter 17 of The Plow-Woman is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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.
past form of “encroach” — advance beyond the usual limit
From this reading “THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.”
in a greedy manner
From this reading “THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.”
any region lying in or toward the north
From this reading “THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.”
causing numbness or insensitivity
From this reading “Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.”
partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
From this reading “Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.”
after the expected or usual time; delayed
From this reading “But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.”
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading “But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.”
made heavy or weighted down with weariness
From this reading “Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.”
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 “Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.”
In this reading “Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.”
In this reading “The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.”
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 Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
with anger
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
the act of waking
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
a path over which electrical signals can pass
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
past form of “encroach” — advance beyond the usual limit
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
in a greedy manner
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
march in a procession
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
preside over
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
any region lying in or toward the north
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
causing numbness or insensitivity
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
the season of growth
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
after the expected or usual time; delayed
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading But April half gone, a tardy thaw set in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading Then, April returned angrily, bringing cold rains and blows to check all vegetation.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading The latter end of March, the weather did not moderate.
made heavy or weighted down with weariness
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Instead, the wide valley became a channel for winds that were weighted with numbing sleet.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading THE AWAKENING That year, in the northland, winter encroached greedily upon spring.
Chapter 17 of The Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates holds 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 308 sentences of The Plow-Woman, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 The Plow-Woman by Eleanor Gates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Plow-Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Plow-Woman 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 The Plow-Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
