Chapter 9 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm. He knew what it meant, and it saddened him. 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked. 'Yes, sir, sometimes. I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
Chapter 9 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.”
plural of “daisy” — any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl
From this reading “I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'”
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.”
death of a person
From this reading “'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.”
a purple color or pigment
From this reading “Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.”
past form of “sadden” — make unhappy
From this reading “He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.”
On the present night.
From this reading “I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'”
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 Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
small very thin pancake
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
plural of “daisy” — any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
at any time
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
the act of departing
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
death of a person
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
past form of “sadden” — make unhappy
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
term of address for a man
From this reading 'Yes, sir, sometimes.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading 'Yes, sir, sometimes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
in or at that place or location
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
On the present night.
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Although her gown was purple, there was a little black crape bow upon each arm.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading I am going there tonight to water the daisies.'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He knew what it meant, and it saddened him.
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, sir, sometimes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Do you ever visit your mother's grave?' he asked.
Chapter 9 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 9 holds 175 sentences of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 9 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 Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3326 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3326, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament 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 Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
