Chapter 4 of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs. “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on . A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
Chapter 4 of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
at another time
From this reading “A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!”
lacking sufficient water or rainfall
From this reading “I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.”
ruined by overcooking
From this reading “I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.”
willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
From this reading “A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!”
-ing form of “gurgle” — flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
From this reading “I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.”
acceptance of despair
From this reading “A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!”
the state of being asleep
From this reading “I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.”
third-person singular of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!”
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 “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
in the past
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
at another time
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
lacking sufficient water or rainfall
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
a female human offspring
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
-ing form of “gurgle” — flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
joined in matrimony
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
acceptance of despair
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
the state of being asleep
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
third-person singular of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
a special situation
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A dutiful daughter does this thing, And resignation succeeds anon!
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
during the time that
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I kissed her wet face—wet with rain, For arid grief had burnt up tears, While reached us as in sleeping pain The distant gurgling of the weirs.
an affirmative
From this reading “I have married him—yes; feel that ring; ’Tis a week ago that he put it on .
Chapter 4 of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses by Thomas Hardy holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 holds 111 sentences of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 4 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 Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1070 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2997 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2997, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 89 minutes of reading across 214 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses 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 Time's Laughingstocks, and Other Verses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
