Chapter 39 of Australia Felix is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Australia Felix is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem. He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour. In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision. He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health. "I feel I'm killing myself.
Chapter 39 of Australia Felix is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/69 · 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 framework that supports climbing plants
From this reading “He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “"I feel I'm killing myself.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.”
cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading “How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.”
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.”
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading “He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.”
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading “How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.”
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 How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
a framework that supports climbing plants
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
a person who is in charge
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "I feel I'm killing myself.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I feel I'm killing myself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I feel I'm killing myself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading "I feel I'm killing myself.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I feel I'm killing myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
on a floor above
From this reading In searching for her, upstairs and down, he came to a rapid decision.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He did not find his wife on her usual seat in the arbour.
the words that are spoken
From this reading How to begin, how reduce to a few plain words his subtle tangle of thought and feeling, was the problem.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would lay chief stress on his poor state of health.
Chapter 39 of Australia Felix by Henry Handel Richardson holds 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 39 holds 347 sentences of Australia Felix, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Australia Felix by Henry Handel Richardson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 39 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 Australia Felix by Henry Handel Richardson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8422 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3832 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3832, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Australia Felix section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Australia Felix 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 Australia Felix, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
