Chapter 3 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian. “D’ye think ’twill hurt me? I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.” “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway. “I didn’t mean you at all.
Chapter 3 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 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.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading ““Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.”
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ““Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.”
the area between the tee and putting green where the grass is cut short
From this reading ““Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.”
be the source of pain
From this reading ““D’ye think ’twill hurt me?”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading ““Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ““Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.””
a weave used to produce the effect of parallel diagonal ribs
From this reading ““D’ye think ’twill hurt me?”
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.
a pronunciation of afraid
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
(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 I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I didn’t mean you at all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “D’ye think ’twill hurt me?
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn’t mean you at all.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
at any time
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
the area between the tee and putting green where the grass is cut short
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
be the source of pain
From this reading “D’ye think ’twill hurt me?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I didn’t mean you at all.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
express in words
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “D’ye think ’twill hurt me?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Well, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
a weave used to produce the effect of parallel diagonal ribs
From this reading “D’ye think ’twill hurt me?
(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, be damned if this isn’t the queerest start ever I know’d,” said Mr. Fairway.
during the time that
From this reading I shall always say I don’t care, and swear to it, though I do care all the while.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, I be he; and it makes me afeard,” said Christian.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I didn’t mean you at all.
Chapter 3 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 3 holds 208 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 3 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 of the Native by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #122 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #122, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1724 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of the Native section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Return of the Native 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 of the Native, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
