Chapter 37 of The Sowers is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter 37 of The Sowers is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DUTY It was not now a very cold night. There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky. The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon. The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March. There was a suggestion of spring in the air.
Chapter 37 of The Sowers is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading “The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.”
(of fabrics) having soft nap produced by brushing
From this reading “There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.”
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading “The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.”
darkened by clouds
From this reading “The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.”
plural of “puff” — a short light gust of air
From this reading “There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.”
measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading “The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.”
grow smaller
From this reading “The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.”
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 DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was a suggestion of spring in the air.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
(of fabrics) having soft nap produced by brushing
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
darkened by clouds
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
march in a procession
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
many times at short intervals
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
plural of “puff” — a short light gust of air
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
the season of growth
From this reading There was a suggestion of spring in the air.
an idea that is suggested
From this reading There was a suggestion of spring in the air.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading The thermometer had risen since sunset, as it often does in March.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
in the direction of
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
precisely as stated
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
grow smaller
From this reading The moon, on the wane,--a small crescent lying on its back,--was lowering toward the horizon.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DUTY It was not now a very cold night.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading There were fleecy clouds thrown like puffs of smoke against the western sky.
Chapter 37 of The Sowers by Henry Seton Merriman holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 37 holds 182 sentences of The Sowers, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 of The Sowers by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 37 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 Sowers by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7928 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1586 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sowers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Sowers 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 Sowers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
