Chapter 11 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness. The rest is the secret of somebody else.' 'I am sorry for that,' said he. 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin. I ought to get away!'.
Chapter 11 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 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.
apart from; not including
From this reading “'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “The rest is the secret of somebody else.'”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “The rest is the secret of somebody else.'”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “'I am sorry for that,' said he.”
in an unwilling manner
From this reading “'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.”
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 “I”
From this reading 'I am sorry for that,' said he.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I ought to get away!'.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
the quality of being changeable; having a marked tendency to change
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
apart from; not including
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'I am sorry for that,' said he.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I ought to get away!'.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I am sorry for that,' said he.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I am sorry for that,' said he.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
term of address for a man
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
a person, without saying who
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading 'I am sorry for that,' said he.
express in words
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rest is the secret of somebody else.'
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'I am getting to care for one I ought not to think of, and it means ruin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
in an unwilling manner
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'I can't tell you, sir,' she replied unwillingly; 'except that it has to do with my own changeableness.
Chapter 11 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 11 holds 179 sentences of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 11 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
