Chapter 29 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose. Are you not nearly spent with the heat?” “Yes. But not so much as you be.” “How do you know?”
Chapter 29 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 223 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.
a young person of either sex
From this reading ““Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.”
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading “Are you not nearly spent with the heat?””
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “But not so much as you be.””
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Are you not nearly spent with the heat?””
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading ““Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.”
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading “Are you not nearly spent with the heat?””
express a supposition
From this reading ““Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.”
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.”
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 you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But not so much as you be.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But not so much as you be.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But not so much as you be.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How do you know?”
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “How do you know?”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But not so much as you be.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But not so much as you be.”
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
express a supposition
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, child; it is nonsense, I suppose.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are you not nearly spent with the heat?”
Chapter 29 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 223 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 29 holds 223 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 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 29 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.
