Chapter 3 of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?" "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere." "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see. 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so. This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
Chapter 3 of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.”
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading “"Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"”
English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)
From this reading “"Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"”
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading “40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.”
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading “"Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."”
experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss
From this reading “This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."”
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading “40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
(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 "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
From this reading This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
engage in
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
sweet spiced hot milk curdled with ale or beer
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss
From this reading This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he, "But a posset to make the king good cheere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see.
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading 40 First I will have thyself begin, Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
Chapter 3 of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII by Francis James [Editor] Child holds 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 3 holds 451 sentences of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII by Francis James [Editor] Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 3 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 English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII by Francis James [Editor] Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41044, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 222 minutes of reading across 534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII 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 English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
