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The Water-Finders
The Water-Finders

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Water-Finders is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.
All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.
At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.
"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.
Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Water-Finders

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Water-Finders is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.
Line 2
All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.
Line 3
At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.
Line 4
"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.
Line 5
Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.
/jɔːr ˈɡrændɔːtər wɪl hæv ˈnʌθɪŋ tuː duː bʌt ɡɪv hɜːr hiː ˈbrændi ənd mɪlk æt ðə ˈprɑːpər taɪmz/

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.

attended adjective US /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading “"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.”

Blunt adjective US /blʌnt/

having a broad or rounded end

From this reading “At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.”

brandy noun US /ˈbrændi/

distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice

From this reading “Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.”

fore noun US /fɔːr/

front part of a vessel or aircraft

From this reading “GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.”

granddaughter noun US /ˈɡrændɔːtər/

a female grandchild

From this reading “Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.”

grumble verb US /ˈɡrʌmbəl/

show one's unhappiness or critical attitude

From this reading “"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.”

Jimmy verb US /ˈdʒɪmi/

to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

From this reading “"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.”

parish noun US /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading “"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

opposite side adjective + noun

In this reading “"I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.”

came over verb + particle counted as “come over”

communicate the intended meaning or impression

In this reading “At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

AGAINadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.

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 All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

attendedadjectiveUS /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

BluntadjectiveUS /blʌnt/

having a broad or rounded end

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

brandynounUS /ˈbrændi/

distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

FOREnounUS /fɔːr/

front part of a vessel or aircraft

From this reading GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.

gabbleverb

speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

GEO

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

From this reading GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

granddaughternounUS /ˈɡrændɔːtər/

a female grandchild

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

Greenacre

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

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

grumbleverbUS /ˈɡrʌmbəl/

show one's unhappiness or critical attitude

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

JimmyverbUS /ˈdʒɪmi/

to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

Lummis

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

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

Mildred

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

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

milknounUS /mɪlk/

a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

NurseverbUS /nɜːrs/

try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

oppositeadjectiveUS /ˈɑːpəzət/

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

properadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːpər/

marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

sleptverbUS /slept/

inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.

threenounUS /θriː/

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

From this reading At three o'clock Nurse Blunt came over to Mildred and asked her to go to Mrs. Lummis.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading All through the middle of the day, till six o'clock, Geo Lummis slept.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading GEO TO THE FORE AGAIN.

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

wouldn't

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

From this reading "I wouldn't trouble her, Mr. Greenacre," she said, as old Jimmy began to gabble and grumble, "but I _must_ go to the opposite side of the of the parish, and Mrs. Lummis is in that stage when she must be attended to.

YourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Your granddaughter will have nothing to do but give her he brandy and milk at the proper times.

Chapter 17 of The Water-Finders by Judith Vandeleur holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 17 of The Water-Finders contain?

Chapter 17 holds 80 sentences of The Water-Finders, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Water-Finders by Judith Vandeleur exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 17 of The Water-Finders?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Water-Finders

Common questions about reading The Water-Finders by Judith Vandeleur on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Water-Finders?

Yes. All 1361 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55506 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Water-Finders is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55506, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Water-Finders take to read?

About 113 minutes of reading across 273 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Water-Finders section by section

How to work through The Water-Finders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Water-Finders 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 The Water-Finders

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Water-Finders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Willowton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Finders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Village
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Finders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seventeen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Finders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thousand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Finders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.