Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Ballad Book
Ballad Book

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Ballad Book is here in full — 329 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Ballad Book
Context Illustration Reading 1/65 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"
"Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"
"O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?
Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"
O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Ballad Book

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Ballad Book is here in full — 329 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"
Line 2
"Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"
Line 3
"O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?
Line 4
Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"
Line 5
O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

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.

fare noun US /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading “Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"”

gotten verb US /ˈɡɑːtən/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “"Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"”

Gregory noun US /ˈɡreɡəri/

(Roman Catholic Church) a church father known for his constant fight against perceived heresies; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-391)

From this reading “"Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"”

oaths noun US /oʊðz/

plural of “oath” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading “"O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?”

peep verb US /piːp/

look furtively

From this reading “O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.”

shame noun US /ʃeɪm/

a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt

From this reading “"Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"”

speed verb US /spiːd/

move hurridly

From this reading “"Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"”

weep verb US /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading “O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.”

All words in this reading · 72

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

anither

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

Awa

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

boardnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

cauld

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

farenounUS /fer/

an agenda of things to do

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

fause

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

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

frae

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

Gae

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

gaed

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

gottenverbUS /ˈɡɑːtən/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

GregorynounUS /ˈɡreɡəri/

(Roman Catholic Church) a church father known for his constant fight against perceived heresies; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-391)

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

gude

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

hae

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

hamenoun

stable gear consisting of either of two curved supports that are attached to the collar of a draft horse and that hold the traces

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

hieverb

move hurridly

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

hooly

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

mair

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

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?

oathsnounUS /oʊðz/

plural of “oath” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading "O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

peepverbUS /piːp/

look furtively

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

Sae

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

sair

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

shamenounUS /ʃeɪm/

a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

shipverbUS /ʃɪp/

transport commercially

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

speedverbUS /spiːd/

move hurridly

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

sware

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

From this reading "O hae ye gotten anither fair love, For a' the oaths ye sware?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

weel

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

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

weepverbUS /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading O hooly, hooly gaed she back, As the day began to peep; She set her foot on gude ship board, And sair, sair did she weep.

winoun

a midwestern state in north central United States

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading "Awa, awa, ye ill woman, Gae frae my door for shame; For I hae gotten anither fair love, Sae ye may hie ye hame!"

ye'se

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

From this reading Then fare ye weel, fause Gregory, For me ye'se never see mair!"

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Sae open the door, love Gregory, And open it wi' speed; Or your young son, that is in my arms, For cauld will soon be dead!"

Chapter 4 of Ballad Book by Katharine Lee [Editor] Bates holds 329 sentences, grouped into 66 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 4 of Ballad Book contain?

Chapter 4 holds 329 sentences of Ballad Book, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Ballad Book by Katharine Lee [Editor] Bates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 329 sentences, grouped into 66 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 4 of Ballad Book?

Work through the 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 66 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 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Ballad Book

Common questions about reading Ballad Book by Katharine Lee [Editor] Bates on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Ballad Book?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ballad Book is used?

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

How long does Ballad Book take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Ballad Book section by section

How to work through Ballad Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Ballad Book 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 Ballad Book

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ballad Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Ballad Book, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Ballad Book, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Ballad Book, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.