Chapter 3 of Grif: A Story of Australian Life is here in full — 291 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Grif: A Story of Australian Life is here in full — 291 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GRIF LOSES A FRIEND. "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go. If I was Ally, I should do as he told her. But she don't care for herself, she don't. She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
Chapter 3 of Grif: A Story of Australian Life is here in full — 291 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 friendly nation
From this reading “If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.”
plural of “chalk” — a soft whitish calcite
From this reading “She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"”
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “GRIF LOSES A FRIEND.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
liquor distilled from fermented molasses
From this reading “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
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 “"It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.”
In this reading “She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"”
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 GRIF LOSES A FRIEND.
a friendly nation
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
plural of “chalk” — a soft whitish calcite
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
at any time
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
opinion or judgment
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading GRIF LOSES A FRIEND.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GRIF LOSES A FRIEND.
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading GRIF LOSES A FRIEND.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
liquor distilled from fermented molasses
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she don't care for herself, she don't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
precisely as stated
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If I was Ally, I should do as he told her.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She's too good for him by ever so many chalks, that's what she is!"
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading "It's a rum go," Grif muttered to himself, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and groped his way down the dark stairs; "a very rum go.
Chapter 3 of Grif: A Story of Australian Life by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 291 sentences, grouped into 59 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 3 holds 291 sentences of Grif: A Story of Australian Life, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Grif: A Story of Australian Life by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 291 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 3 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 Grif: A Story of Australian Life by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7559 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45919 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45919, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Grif: A Story of Australian Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Grif: A Story of Australian Life 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 Grif: A Story of Australian Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
