Chapter 4 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JACK BECOMES A LANCER. ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly. ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand. I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’ ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
Chapter 4 of Blair of Balaclava is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading “‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.”
turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.”
in jest
From this reading “‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.”
(formerly) a cavalryman armed with a lance
From this reading “JACK BECOMES A LANCER.”
the courage to carry on
From this reading “‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.”
subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization
From this reading “I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.”
a bowling game that is played by rolling a bowling ball down a bowling alley at a target of nine wooden pins
From this reading “‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.”
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.
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 JACK BECOMES A LANCER.
(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 ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading JACK BECOMES A LANCER.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’
turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
a small worthless amount
From this reading JACK BECOMES A LANCER.
in jest
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
a boy or man
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
(formerly) a cavalryman armed with a lance
From this reading JACK BECOMES A LANCER.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
the force of workers available
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
the courage to carry on
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization
From this reading I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I’ve never seen a Lancer regiment before.’
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
a bowling game that is played by rolling a bowling ball down a bowling alley at a target of nine wooden pins
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ‘I think I should,’ replied Jack with a blush; ‘the men did look so grand.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading ‘It’s not all beer and skittles in the army,’ said the sergeant; ‘but a lad of mettle might do worse.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And so you’d like to be a soldier, would you?’ said the sergeant jokingly.
Chapter 4 of Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 117 sentences of Blair of Balaclava, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Blair of Balaclava by Escott Lynn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5231 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 435 minutes of reading across 1047 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blair of Balaclava section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Blair of Balaclava 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 Blair of Balaclava, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
