Chapter 40 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths. You shouldn’t say it.” “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright. “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene. I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
Chapter 40 of The Return of the Native is here in full — 214 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading ““But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.”
plural of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading ““No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading ““No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.”
something many people believe that is false
From this reading ““No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.”
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I have two ideas in my head, and no others.”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading ““But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading ““But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.”
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading ““No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.”
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 “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
plural of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You shouldn’t say it.”
go away from a place
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have two ideas in my head, and no others.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
express in words
From this reading You shouldn’t say it.”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You shouldn’t say it.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “No, Mr. Clym, don’t fancy that about driving two women to their deaths.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But anyhow God has set a mark upon me which wouldn’t look well in a love-making scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, we’ll leave that out,” said Yeobright.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You shouldn’t say it.”
Chapter 40 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy holds 214 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 40 holds 214 sentences of The Return of the Native, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 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 40 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.
