Chapter 4 of 'Possum is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of 'Possum is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!" Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk. "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!" "It sounds a jolly place," said his father. "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
Chapter 4 of 'Possum is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 blissful manner
From this reading “Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
comparative of “rusty” — covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
plural of “shed” — an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading “"There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"”
moral weakness
From this reading “"Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"”
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’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
in a blissful manner
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
at any time
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "It sounds a jolly place," said his father.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
and nothing more
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
comparative of “rusty” — covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
plural of “shed” — an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "It sounds a jolly place," said his father.
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Garth said, blissfully looking up from his bowl of bread and milk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
moral weakness
From this reading "Are there more rats than hay, or vice versa?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It’s just the beautifullest place that ever was!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There’s lovely sheds, and a big bench with tools—they’s rustier than _your_ tools, Daddy!—and a stable, and such a jolly loft, with hay in it, and rats!"
Chapter 4 of 'Possum by Mary Grant Bruce holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of 'Possum, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of 'Possum by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 'Possum by Mary Grant Bruce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5297 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50881 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50881, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1060 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 'Possum section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of 'Possum 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 'Possum, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
