Chapter 5 of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories is here in full — 809 sentences across 162 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories is here in full — 809 sentences across 162 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned. The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity. Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat. This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’ To him I propound my conundrum.
Chapter 5 of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories is here in full — 809 sentences across 162 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/161 · 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.
a difficult problem
From this reading “To him I propound my conundrum.”
plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’”
having or covered with hair
From this reading “He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.”
a badge worn to show official position
From this reading “The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.”
lacking distinct or individual characteristics; dull and uninteresting
From this reading “Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.”
put forward, as of an idea
From this reading “To him I propound my conundrum.”
an incompetent person; usually used in negative constructions
From this reading “Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.”
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading “He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.”
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.
a soft felt hat with a wide flexible brim
In this reading “Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.”
In this reading “He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.”
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 The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
a message whose content is at variance with reason
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
a difficult problem
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
having or covered with hair
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
a badge worn to show official position
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
lacking distinct or individual characteristics; dull and uninteresting
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
having official authority or sanction
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
put forward, as of an idea
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
an incompetent person; usually used in negative constructions
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
plural of “stocking” — close-fitting hosiery to cover the foot and leg; come in matched pairs (usually used in the plural)
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading He is six feet in his stockings, broad, massive, hirsute, and tanned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Therefore his raiment is nondescript, and mostly slouch hat.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To him I propound my conundrum.
which person or people
From this reading This is the man who rules the official destinies of the settlement—the ‘Officer in Charge.’
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The insignia of office in such a place would be an absurdity.
Chapter 5 of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories by John Arthur Barry holds 809 sentences, grouped into 162 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 5 holds 809 sentences of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 162 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories by John Arthur Barry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 809 sentences, grouped into 162 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 162 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 162 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 5 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 Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories by John Arthur Barry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3950 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories 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 Steve Brown's Bunyip, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
