Chapter 1 of Two on a Tower is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Two on a Tower is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY THOMAS HARDY. 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology. Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.' CRASHAW: _Love's Horoscope_. WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.
Chapter 1 of Two on a Tower is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
From this reading “'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “BY THOMAS HARDY.”
a prediction of someone's future based on the relative positions of the planets
possessive form of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'”
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading “WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.”
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading “Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'”
a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business
From this reading “Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'”
a Saxon kingdom in southwestern England that became the most powerful English kingdom by the 10th century
From this reading “WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.”
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 WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY THOMAS HARDY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CRASHAW: _Love's Horoscope_.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
the organ of sight
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
opinion or judgment
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading BY THOMAS HARDY.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
a prediction of someone's future based on the relative positions of the planets
From this reading CRASHAW: _Love's Horoscope_.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
possessive form of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading 'Ah, my heart! her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading BY THOMAS HARDY.
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 Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
a Saxon kingdom in southwestern England that became the most powerful English kingdom by the 10th century
From this reading WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die.'
in the company of; together with
From this reading WITH A MAP OF WESSEX.
Chapter 1 of Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 1 holds 165 sentences of Two on a Tower, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 1 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 Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5046 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3146, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 420 minutes of reading across 1010 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Two on a Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Two on a Tower 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 Two on a Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
