Chapter 1 of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting. {5} _Know ye little Alf_? Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about. Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try. He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
Chapter 1 of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading “He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.”
plural of “build” — constitution of the human body
From this reading “Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.”
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading “He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.”
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading “Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.”
dependable
From this reading “Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.”
cause to make a ting
From this reading “Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.”
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 {5} _Know ye little Alf_?
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
confined by bonds
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
plural of “build” — constitution of the human body
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
plural of “draw” — a gully that is shallower than a ravine
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading {5} _Know ye little Alf_?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading {5} _Know ye little Alf_?
attach a tag or label to
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
dependable
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
cause to make a ting
From this reading Sir Alf he is an Atheling, Both at Stevn and at Ting.
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel high, The trade of pirate he will try.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Alf he builds a vessel stout, For he will rove and sail about.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He draws on the sand a circle mark, And with a bound he gained the bark.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading {5} _Know ye little Alf_?
Chapter 1 of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved by George [Translator] Borrow holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 holds 113 sentences of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved by George [Translator] Borrow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 1 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 Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved by George [Translator] Borrow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 113 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26787 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26787, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 9 minutes of reading across 23 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved 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 Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
