Chapter 15 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 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 of the Native is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No, never? Ha, ha! Good gad! I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.” “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
Chapter 15 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 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.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ““It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.””
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading ““It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.”
an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months
From this reading “Good gad!”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good gad!”
immediately past
From this reading ““It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ““No, never?”
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading ““It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months
From this reading Good gad!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good gad!
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading Ha, ha!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
immediately past
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “No, never?
not any; not one
From this reading “No, never?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “It was my first performance, and it certainly will be my last.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I didn’t expect it of you, Eustacia.”
Chapter 15 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 222 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 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.
