Chapter 34 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Yes, they are for you. I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again. 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out. 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes. 'Put 'em away.
Chapter 34 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 183 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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.”
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading “'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.”
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.”
-ing form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.”
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.
anew
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 'Yes, they are for you.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading 'Put 'em away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
a quad with a square body
From this reading 'Put 'em away.
opinion or judgment
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'Yes, they are for you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
the act of retaining something
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading 'Put 'em away.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
express in words
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
-ing form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading 'But you owe me nothing!' returned Anne, holding them out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Yes, they are for you.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I always meant to do it!' he said, sighing again.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading 'Don't say it!' cried Uncle Benjy, covering his eyes.
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, they are for you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Yes, they are for you.
Chapter 34 of The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 34 holds 183 sentences of The Trumpet-Major, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 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 34 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 Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2864 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2864, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1232 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trumpet-Major section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Trumpet-Major 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 Trumpet-Major, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
