Chapter 24 of An Australian Girl is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of An Australian Girl is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep. Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away. Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake. But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’ ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
Chapter 24 of An Australian Girl is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “atom” — (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
From this reading “Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.”
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’”
third-person singular of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading “Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.”
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading “’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.”
In this reading “But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’”
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 Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
plural of “atom” — (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
third-person singular of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Then I dream something dreadful has happened, and I am glad to wake.
at the time that
From this reading Often when I am asleep, everything I touch falls in atoms—everything crumbles away.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading But when I am wide awake, it is worse—oh, much worse—than any dream!’
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading ’But, Stella, these children are not miserable and wretched.
an affirmative
From this reading ’Yes; but that is better than to be made to sleep.
Chapter 24 of An Australian Girl by Catherine Martin holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 24 holds 415 sentences of An Australian Girl, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of An Australian Girl by Catherine Martin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 24 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 An Australian Girl by Catherine Martin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50832 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50832, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2024 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Australian Girl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of An Australian Girl 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 An Australian Girl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
