Chapter 11 of The Return is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Return is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone. ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines. Even if you don’t.’ ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath. ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
Chapter 11 of The Return is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
placed in a grave
From this reading “‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.”
plural of “countryman” — a man from your own country
From this reading “‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.”
an angular or rounded shape made by folding
From this reading “‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.”
inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.”
the act of killing yourself
From this reading “‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.”
a stone that is used to mark a grave
From this reading “His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.”
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 ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.
placed in a grave
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
plural of “countryman” — a man from your own country
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even if you don’t.’
divisible by two
From this reading Even if you don’t.’
an angular or rounded shape made by folding
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.
inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
above and across; more than
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
the act of killing yourself
From this reading ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
a stone that is used to mark a grave
From this reading His companion leant his hand on the old stooping tombstone.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading ‘A suicide,’ said Lawford, under his breath.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
an affirmative
From this reading ‘Yes, a suicide; that’s why our Christian countrymen have buried him outside of the fold.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Well, you know, there’s a good deal there’—he stooped over—‘if you read between the lines.
Chapter 11 of The Return by Walter De la Mare holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 11 holds 195 sentences of The Return, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Return by Walter De la Mare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 11 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 Return by Walter De la Mare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5551 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3075 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3075, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Return 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 Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
