Chapter 17 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them. They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder. No one else was astir. “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!” “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
Chapter 17 of The Twins of Emu Plains is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.”
a supply of food especially for a household
From this reading “They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.”
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading “They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.”
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading ““Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!””
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading “They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.”
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading “THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading ““Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!””
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 “THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.”
In this reading “They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.”
come into existence; take on form or shape
In this reading “They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
out of bed
From this reading No one else was astir.
only a very short time before
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
the first light of day
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one else was astir.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
a narrow way or road
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
a supply of food especially for a household
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
not any; not one
From this reading No one else was astir.
being perceived or observed
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one else was astir.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
moving very fast
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
carry out
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “Whatever we do, we mustn’t wake Sarah!”
at the time that
From this reading THE TURNING OF THE LONG LANE IT was barely dawn next morning when the twins’ alarum-clock roused them.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “No—and we mustn’t take what will be noticed too much,” Jean said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They sprang up, dressed with swift movements, and tiptoed to the larder.
Chapter 17 of The Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 274 sentences of The Twins of Emu Plains, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Twins of Emu Plains by Mary Grant Bruce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60447 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60447, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Twins of Emu Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Twins of Emu Plains 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 Twins of Emu Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
