Chapter 15 of The Return is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Return is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The cold hand clasped his closer. ‘Hush, don’t speak! Come back; come back. I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’ Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
Chapter 15 of The Return is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.”
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “The cold hand clasped his closer.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “The cold hand clasped his closer.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.”
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.”
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading “‘Hush, don’t speak!”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.”
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading “Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.”
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 I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Come back; come back.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading The cold hand clasped his closer.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading The cold hand clasped his closer.
the act of grasping
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
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 The cold hand clasped his closer.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come back; come back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Hush, don’t speak!
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The cold hand clasped his closer.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The cold hand clasped his closer.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading ‘Hush, don’t speak!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
express in speech
From this reading ‘Hush, don’t speak!
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Lawford clutched her hand as a blind man in sudden peril might clutch the hand of a child.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cold hand clasped his closer.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am with you, a friend, you see; come back.’
Chapter 15 of The Return by Walter De la Mare holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 15 holds 205 sentences of The Return, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Return by Walter De la Mare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 15 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.
