Chapter 4 of Colonial facts and fictions is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Colonial facts and fictions is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world. There is still a little mining going on. The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium. The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing. The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
Chapter 4 of Colonial facts and fictions is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down
From this reading “The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.”
plural of “centre” — a low-lying region in central France
From this reading “Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.”
spread out or scattered about or divided up
From this reading “The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.”
plural of “grain” — a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading “The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.”
plural of “material” — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.”
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading “Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.”
third-person singular of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.”
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading “The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.”
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.
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 There is still a little mining going on.
clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
plural of “centre” — a low-lying region in central France
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
spread out or scattered about or divided up
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
the act of departing
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
plural of “grain” — a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
plural of “material” — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
third-person singular of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
not in physical motion
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is still a little mining going on.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The tin occurs in grains and pebbles distributed through alluvium.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading The light materials are washed away and the heavy tin remains behind.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The earth is thrown into boxes or sluices through which water is flowing.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Stanthorpe was at one time one of the principal tin mining centres in this part of the world.
Chapter 4 of Colonial facts and fictions by John Milne holds 412 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 4 holds 412 sentences of Colonial facts and fictions, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Colonial facts and fictions by John Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 4 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 Colonial facts and fictions by John Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7002 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69580 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69580, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 583 minutes of reading across 1401 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Colonial facts and fictions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Colonial facts and fictions 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 Colonial facts and fictions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
