Chapter 9 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 IX
Chapter 9 of 'Possum is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter. "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there! I fell twice with him. Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t. It’s broke in two places, though."
Chapter 9 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.
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading “Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “"Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.”
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading “"Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!”
sloping down rather steeply
From this reading “"Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.”
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading “"Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.”
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading “Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “"Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.”
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.
an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes
In this reading “Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.”
In this reading “"Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!”
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 "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
lacking funds
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
sloping down rather steeply
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading I fell twice with him.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I fell twice with him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Mighty good luck the bone ain’t through the skin, but it ain’t.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading "Cow of a trip!" said the other scrub-cutter.
two times
From this reading I fell twice with him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It’s broke in two places, though."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
in the company of; together with
From this reading I fell twice with him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Had to carry him downhill and across the creek on me back, an’ you know what the scrub is there!
Chapter 9 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 9 holds 408 sentences of 'Possum, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 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 9 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.
