Chapter 4 of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman. He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle. His complexion was burnt to a deep copper. Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you. Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
Chapter 4 of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
From this reading “He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.”
nomadic hunters and gatherers who live in southern Africa
From this reading “To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.”
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading “His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.”
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading “His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.”
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading “Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.”
high level of respect gained by impressive development or achievement
From this reading “He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.”
Scottish author (1850-1894)
From this reading “To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.”
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading “To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.”
In this reading “Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.”
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 To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
at or in or to any place
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.
nomadic hunters and gatherers who live in southern Africa
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading His complexion was burnt to a deep copper.
put on clothes
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
move gently or carefully
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
with speed
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
put a saddle on
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
high level of respect gained by impressive development or achievement
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
Scottish author (1850-1894)
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had added inches to his stature so rapidly, and breadth to his shoulders, that he was ill at ease anywhere but in the saddle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Used to cities, you would not like his dress.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Grey, good eyes looked squarely at you.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading To look at, Stevenson was a typical young bushman.
Chapter 4 of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story by Ethel Turner holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 4 holds 410 sentences of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story by Ethel Turner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 4 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 Wonder-Child: An Australian Story by Ethel Turner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3817 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45683, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 764 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Wonder-Child: An Australian Story 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 Wonder-Child: An Australian Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
