Chapter 17 of The Squatter's Dream is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Squatter's Dream is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And did she love him? What and if she did? Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass. It was a very good one for wool. Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
Chapter 17 of The Squatter's Dream is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
lacking sufficient water or rainfall
From this reading “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
the basic unit of money in Argentina; equal to 100 centavos
From this reading “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading “Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.”
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “It was a very good one for wool.”
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 “Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.”
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 Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And did she love him?
any thing at all
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
lacking sufficient water or rainfall
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the basic unit of money in Argentina; equal to 100 centavos
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the act of burning something
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “And did she love him?
remove the dust from
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “And did she love him?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What and if she did?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a very good one for wool.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “And did she love him?
not any; not one
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
except for; apart from
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “And did she love him?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Save a little dust, no exception could be taken to anything.
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was a very good one for wool.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a very good one for wool.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Love cannot cool the burning Austral sands, Nor show the secret waters that lie hid In arid valleys of that desert land.”—_Jean Ingelow._ The season had not been a good one for grass.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What and if she did?
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading It was a very good one for wool.
Chapter 17 of The Squatter's Dream by Rolf Boldrewood holds 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 17 holds 296 sentences of The Squatter's Dream, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Squatter's Dream by Rolf Boldrewood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 17 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 The Squatter's Dream by Rolf Boldrewood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5552 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50411 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50411, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Squatter's Dream section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Squatter's Dream 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 The Squatter's Dream, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
