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Seven Little Australians
Seven Little Australians

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Seven Little Australians is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Seven Little Australians
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!
Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.
And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.
But all the stretching plain between was brown.
Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Seven Little Australians

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Seven Little Australians is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!
Line 2
Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.
/raɪt əˈweɪ ɪn ðə ˈdɪstəns ɑːn θriː saɪdz wɑːz ə bluː hɪl laɪn ənd bluː sɑːft triːz/
Line 3
And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.
/ənd ʌp nɪr ðə haʊs ðə triːz wɜːr ɡriːn ənd ˈbjuːtəfəl ənd ðə ˈflaʊərz ə bleɪz ʌv ˈkʌlər/
Line 4
But all the stretching plain between was brown.
/bʌt ɔːl ðə ˈstretʃɪŋ pleɪn bɪˈtwiːn wɑːz braʊn/
Line 5
Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

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.

blaze noun US /bleɪz/

a strong flame that burns brightly

From this reading “And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.”

bracken noun US /ˈbrækən/

fern of southeastern Asia; not hardy in cold temperate regions

From this reading “Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.”

dips noun US /dɪps/

plural of “dip” — a depression in an otherwise level surface

From this reading “Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.”

fences noun US /ˈfensəz/

plural of “fence” — a barrier that serves to enclose an area

From this reading “Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.”

flourished verb US /ˈflɜːrɪʃt/

past form of “flourish” — grow vigorously

From this reading “Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.”

patches noun US /ˈpætʃəz/

plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something

From this reading “Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.”

pushes noun US /ˈpʊʃəz/

plural of “push” — the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading “Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!”

stretching noun US /ˈstretʃɪŋ/

act of expanding by lengthening or widening

From this reading “But all the stretching plain between was brown.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

100

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

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

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 But all the stretching plain between was brown.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading But all the stretching plain between was brown.

blazenounUS /bleɪz/

a strong flame that burns brightly

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

brackennounUS /ˈbrækən/

fern of southeastern Asia; not hardy in cold temperate regions

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading But all the stretching plain between was brown.

burntadjectiveUS /bɜːrnt/

ruined by overcooking

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But all the stretching plain between was brown.

colouradjectiveUS /ˈkʌlər/

having or capable of producing colors

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

criss-crossed

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

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

deg

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

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

dipsnounUS /dɪps/

plural of “dip” — a depression in an otherwise level surface

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

disappearedverbUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrd/

past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/

lacking in liveliness or animation

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

fencesnounUS /ˈfensəz/

plural of “fence” — a barrier that serves to enclose an area

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

flourishedverbUS /ˈflɜːrɪʃt/

past form of “flourish” — grow vigorously

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

hillnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/

occurring from time to time

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

patchesnounUS /ˈpætʃəz/

plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

placesnounUS /ˈpleɪsəz/

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

plainadjectiveUS /pleɪn/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading But all the stretching plain between was brown.

plain's

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

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

pushesnounUS /ˈpʊʃəz/

plural of “push” — the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

ranknounUS /ræŋk/

a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

RightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

sidesnounUS /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

straightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/

act of expanding by lengthening or widening

From this reading But all the stretching plain between was brown.

sunshinenounUS /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

the rays of the sun

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

thermometer's

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

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

threadverbUS /θred/

to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

treesnounUS /triːz/

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Right away in the distance on three sides was a blue hill line and blue soft trees.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading And up near the house the trees were green and beautiful, and the flowers a blaze of colour.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Brown burnt grass with occasional patches of dull green, criss-crossed here and there with fences; that ran up the little hills that in places broke the plain's straight line, and disappeared in the dips where rank grass and bracken flourished.

Yarrahappini

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

From this reading Yarrahappini Yarrahappini in the sunshine, the kind of sunshine that pushes the thermometer's silver thread up to 100 deg.!

Chapter 15 of Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 of Seven Little Australians contain?

Chapter 15 holds 81 sentences of Seven Little Australians, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 15 of Seven Little Australians?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 Seven Little Australians

Common questions about reading Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Seven Little Australians?

Yes. All 2333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Seven Little Australians is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4731, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Seven Little Australians take to read?

About 194 minutes of reading across 467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Seven Little Australians section by section

How to work through Seven Little Australians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of Seven Little Australians 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 Seven Little Australians

Words and structures a reader meets early in Seven Little Australians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Don't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Seven Little Australians; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Right
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Seven Little Australians; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nothing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Seven Little Australians; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wrong
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Seven Little Australians; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.