Chapter 17 of Women of the Country is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Women of the Country is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes. For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground. Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour. Nothing was quiet or hidden. There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
Chapter 17 of Women of the Country is here in full — 55 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.”
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.”
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading “Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.”
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.”
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading “Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.”
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading “For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.”
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading “There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.”
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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
not accessible to view
From this reading Nothing was quiet or hidden.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing was quiet or hidden.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Nothing was quiet or hidden.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Nothing was quiet or hidden.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
the season of growth
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
moving very fast
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the first time the sky was lighter than the ground.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the first day of spring, the season of swift changes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Its brilliant clouds threw heavy shadows on the earth, fugitive shadows which ran with the warm wind, alert with colour.
but in spite of that
From this reading There was not yet sufficient life to cover or screen.
Chapter 17 of Women of the Country by Gertrude Bone holds 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 17 holds 55 sentences of Women of the Country, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Women of the Country by Gertrude Bone exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 55 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 17 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 Women of the Country by Gertrude Bone on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13278 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13278, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 135 minutes of reading across 325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Women of the Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Women of the Country 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 Women of the Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
