Chapter 23 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly. “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.” And Christian went back and privately pocketed them. Wildeve opened the door and looked out. The night was warm and cloudy.
Chapter 23 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
without care or concern
From this reading ““Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly.”
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading “And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.”
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading “The night was warm and cloudy.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading ““They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.””
a boy or man
From this reading ““They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.””
past form of “pocket” — put in one's pocket
From this reading “And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.”
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading “And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “The night was warm and cloudy.”
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 “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
without care or concern
From this reading “Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading The night was warm and cloudy.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Wildeve opened the door and looked out.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
a boy or man
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Wildeve opened the door and looked out.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night was warm and cloudy.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
and nothing more
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Wildeve opened the door and looked out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
past form of “pocket” — put in one's pocket
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
kept private or confined to those intimately concerned
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wildeve opened the door and looked out.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The night was warm and cloudy.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night was warm and cloudy.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And Christian went back and privately pocketed them.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Certainly,” said Wildeve carelessly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “They were only cut out by some lad with his knife, and are worth nothing.”
Chapter 23 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 23 holds 211 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 23 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.
