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Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales
Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales
Context Illustration Reading 1/8 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
See https://
6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.
Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.
London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.
He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
See https://
Line 2
6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.
Line 3
Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.
Line 4
London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.
Line 5
He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.
/hiː wɑːz ðə ˈrɪŋər ʌv ðə ʃed ənd hɪz ˌrepjəˈteɪʃən wɑːz æt steɪk fɔːr ˈnɔːrmən ˈkæmbəl wɑːz ˈrʌnɪŋ hɪm kloʊs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

cuts noun US /kʌts/

plural of “cut” — a share of the profits

From this reading “London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.”

fleece noun US /fliːs/

the wool of a sheep or similar animal

From this reading “London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.”

fold noun US /foʊld/

an angular or rounded shape made by folding

From this reading “London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.”

Kidnapped verb US /ˈkɪdnæpt/

inflected form of “kidnap” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom

From this reading “Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.”

ringer noun US /ˈrɪŋər/

a person who rings church bells (as for summoning the congregation)

From this reading “He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.”

shearing noun US /ˈʃɪrɪŋ/

removing by cutting off or clipping

From this reading “London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.”

slashing adjective US /ˈslæʃɪŋ/

as if striking with slashing blows

From this reading “London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.”

Squatter noun US /ˈskwɑːtər/

someone who settles lawfully on government land with the intent to acquire title to it

From this reading “Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

at stake preposition + noun

in question or at issue

In this reading “He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

15

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

16th

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

6

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

BillnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

CampbellnounUS /ˈkæmbəl/

United States mythologist (1904-1987)

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

COnounUS /koʊ/

an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

cutsnounUS /kʌts/

plural of “cut” — a share of the profits

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

EastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

etc

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

fleecenounUS /fliːs/

the wool of a sheep or similar animal

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

foldnounUS /foʊld/

an angular or rounded shape made by folding

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

GREENnounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

https

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading See https://

KidnappedverbUS /ˈkɪdnæpt/

inflected form of “kidnap” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

LONGMANS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

Marlock

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

NormannounUS /ˈnɔːrmən/

United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

reputationnounUS /ˌrepjəˈteɪʃən/

the state of being held in high esteem and honor

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

ringernounUS /ˈrɪŋər/

a person who rings church bells (as for summoning the congregation)

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

runningadjectiveUS /ˈrʌnɪŋ/

(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

snounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

SeeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading See https://

shearingnounUS /ˈʃɪrɪŋ/

removing by cutting off or clipping

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

shedverbUS /ʃed/

get rid of

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

slashingadjectiveUS /ˈslæʃɪŋ/

as if striking with slashing blows

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

SquatternounUS /ˈskwɑːtər/

someone who settles lawfully on government land with the intent to acquire title to it

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

stakenounUS /steɪk/

(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Author of "The Kidnapped Squatter," etc.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was the "ringer" of the shed, and his reputation was at stake, for Norman Campbell was running him close.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading London Longmans, Green, and Co. And New York: 15 East 16th Street Bill Marlock had been shearing all the morning, with long slashing cuts before which the fleece fell, fold upon fold.

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading 6s._ LONDON AND NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.

Chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales by Andrew Robertson holds 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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.

What does chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales contain?

Chapter 1 holds 42 sentences of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales by Andrew Robertson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales?

Work through the 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 9 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales

Common questions about reading Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales by Andrew Robertson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales?

Yes. All 2657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54415 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54415, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales take to read?

About 221 minutes of reading across 532 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales section by section

How to work through Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 23 chapters of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Https
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Longmans
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Green
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Nuggets in the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Other Australian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.