The Oxford Book of Ballads
The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch is available here as the complete text, split into 1437 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #44593.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Oxford Book of Ballads
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 1429 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #44593, divided into 17 chapters and 1437 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Where can I read The Oxford Book of Ballads in full?
The complete text of The Oxford Book of Ballads is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #44593 and divided into 1437 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #44593, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 7181 sentences across 17 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is The Oxford Book of Ballads divided for reading?
The Oxford Book of Ballads is presented in 17 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Oxford Book of Ballads as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1437 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 17 chapters.
Can I hear The Oxford Book of Ballads read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Oxford Book of Ballads can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Oxford Book of Ballads can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading The Oxford Book of Ballads
Common questions about reading The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Oxford Book of Ballads?
Yes. All 7181 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44593 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Oxford Book of Ballads is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #44593, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Oxford Book of Ballads take to read?
About 598 minutes of reading across 1437 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Oxford Book of Ballads section by section
How to work through The Oxford Book of Ballads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Oxford Book of Ballads to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Oxford Book of Ballads
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Oxford Book of Ballads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Thomas
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Rhymer
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Cawline
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Aldingar
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.