Chapter 25 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Injure you? Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?” “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!” “I could not help what I thought. But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
Chapter 25 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
cause injuries or bodily harm to
From this reading ““Injure you?”
harmed
From this reading ““You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!””
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading ““You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!””
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “But I have never spoken of you outside my house.””
a human being
From this reading “Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?””
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading ““You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!””
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “But I have never spoken of you outside my house.””
believed likely
From this reading ““You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!””
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I could not help what I thought.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I could not help what I thought.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
cause injuries or bodily harm to
From this reading “Injure you?
harmed
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I could not help what I thought.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
a human being
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading But I have never spoken of you outside my house.”
believed likely
From this reading “You injured me before my marriage, and you have now suspected me of secretly favouring another man for money!”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Do you think I am an evil-disposed person?”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I could not help what I thought.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I could not help what I thought.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Injure you?
Chapter 25 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 217 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 25 holds 217 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 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 25 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.
