Chapter 7 of Back to Billabong is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Back to Billabong is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.” Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage. “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing. “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?” “Oh, nothing, really.
Chapter 7 of Back to Billabong is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading ““I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.”
past form of “board” — get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading “HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.””
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading ““I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading ““I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.”
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading “Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.”
travel slowly
From this reading “HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.””
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading ““Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?””
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 TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?”
in a state of sleep
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
past form of “board” — get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Oh, nothing, really.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, nothing, really.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?”
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Oh, nothing, really.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
travel slowly
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
hard to endure
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Poor old Tommy, are you very tired?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW TOMMY BOARDED A STRANGE TAXI “We're nearly in, Tommy.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Cecilia looked up from her corner with a start, and the book she had been trying to read slipped to the floor of the carriage.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I believe you were asleep,” said Bob, laughing.
Chapter 7 of Back to Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 7 holds 379 sentences of Back to Billabong, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Back to Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 7 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 Back to Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4522 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7047, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 376 minutes of reading across 905 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Back to Billabong section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Back to Billabong 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 Back to Billabong, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
