Chapter 1 of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GODIVA. "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right. But you will have to change three things first." "Yes?" "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
Chapter 1 of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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 weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading “"And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."”
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading “"Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.”
according to legend she rode naked through Coventry in order to persuade her husband not to tax the townspeople so heavily
From this reading “GODIVA.”
elevated (e.g., mountainous) land
From this reading “"Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.”
an artifact designed to be played with
From this reading “"Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.”
plural of “scheme” — an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading “"Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “"And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."”
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading “"And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."”
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.
the shared psychological attributes of humankind that are assumed to be shared by all human beings
In this reading “"And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."”
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 "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
(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 "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you will have to change three things first."
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading But you will have to change three things first."
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading But you will have to change three things first."
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
according to legend she rode naked through Coventry in order to persuade her husband not to tax the townspeople so heavily
From this reading GODIVA.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
elevated (e.g., mountainous) land
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
not any; not one
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
an artifact designed to be played with
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
plural of “scheme” — an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "And these are human nature and the soil and climate of Scotland."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading But you will have to change three things first."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading But you will have to change three things first."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt all your fine schemes will come right.
Chapter 1 of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) by William Black holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 225 sentences of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3), unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) by William Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) by William Black on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2423 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 485 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3) 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 Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume 1 of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
