Chapter 16 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston! You are not old enough? Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.' 'I am very old.' 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
Chapter 16 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament is here in full — 181 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.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
possessive form of “grandmother” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
characteristic of humanity
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
for more time
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
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 “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
an antiquity that has survived from the distant past
From this reading “'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.”
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 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading 'I am very old.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are not old enough?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading You are not old enough?
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
possessive form of “grandmother” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.'
characteristic of humanity
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I am very old.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
for more time
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.'
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 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
a form of address for a man
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.'
not any; not one
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You are not old enough?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading You are not old enough?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
capable of happening or existing
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
an antiquity that has survived from the distant past
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading 'My mother's, and my grandmother's,' said she, looking at him no longer as at a possible husband, but as a strange fossilized relic in human form.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.'
precisely as stated
From this reading 'I am very old.'
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, how old are you?--you have never told me.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'But you couldn't have been, Mr. Pierston!
Chapter 16 of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy holds 181 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 16 holds 181 sentences of The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 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 181 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 16 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.
