Chapter 13 of 'Possum is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of 'Possum is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not me. But the best of us is careless sometimes. Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?" "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it. It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
Chapter 13 of 'Possum is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/69 · 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.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “But the best of us is careless sometimes.”
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading “But the best of us is careless sometimes.”
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading “Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"”
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading “"It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “But the best of us is careless sometimes.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"”
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading “It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"”
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading “It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"”
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 wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.”
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.
(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 Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Not me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
above and across; more than
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But the best of us is careless sometimes.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "It wasn’t on the seat, where I left it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wouldn’t have walked underneath, would it?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Well, are you sure you hunted all over the trap?"
Chapter 13 of 'Possum by Mary Grant Bruce holds 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 13 holds 347 sentences of 'Possum, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of 'Possum by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 13 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.
