Chapter 8 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Is there? You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master? ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.” “Nonsense. All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
plural of “bag” — a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?”
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading “You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading ““Nonsense.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?”
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.””
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading “’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.””
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.
(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 All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
plural of “bag” — a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is there?
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “Nonsense.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading All that reddlemen do is sell reddle.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Is there?
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading ’Tis said that the reddleman will sometimes.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You won’t carry me off in your bags, will ye, master?
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 8 holds 220 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 8 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.
