Chapter 19 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 XIX
Chapter 19 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You are lonely here.” “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season. The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.” “Can you say so?” he asked. “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
Chapter 19 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.
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading ““I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.”
making lively and cheerful
From this reading ““To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.”
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading ““I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading ““You are lonely here.””
a purple color or pigment
From this reading ““I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.”
affording physical relief
From this reading ““To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.”
becoming stronger
From this reading ““To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.”
someone who imposes hard or continuous work
From this reading “The heath is a cruel taskmaster to 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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are lonely here.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Can you say so?” he asked.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Can you say so?” he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
apart from; not including
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
making lively and cheerful
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Can you say so?” he asked.
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “You are lonely here.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “You are lonely here.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
express in words
From this reading “Can you say so?” he asked.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Can you say so?” he asked.
affording physical relief
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
becoming stronger
From this reading “To my mind it is most exhilarating, and strengthening, and soothing.
someone who imposes hard or continuous work
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I cannot endure the heath, except in its purple season.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The heath is a cruel taskmaster to me.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are lonely here.”
Chapter 19 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 19 holds 222 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 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 19 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.
