Chapter 6 of Erling the Bold is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Erling the Bold is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire. The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said: "Good luck is in store for the boy." "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?" "No; my knowledge goes no further.
Chapter 6 of Erling the Bold is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading “"Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"”
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading “"What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “"Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “"Good luck is in store for the boy."”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “"What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “"Good luck is in store for the boy."”
marked by wrinkles
From this reading “"What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.”
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 "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
next to; at the side of
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
an old form of “can”, used with “thou”
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
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 "No; my knowledge goes no further.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading "No; my knowledge goes no further.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading "No; my knowledge goes no further.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "No; my knowledge goes no further.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; my knowledge goes no further.
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 "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
express in words
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading "Good luck is in store for the boy."
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Thanks for that, granny," said Alric; "canst say what sort o' good luck it is?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
which person or people
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The witch-like old creature roused herself a little and said:
marked by wrinkles
From this reading "What thinkest thou of the dream?" said Herfrida to a wrinkled old crone who sat on a low stool beside the fire.
Chapter 6 of Erling the Bold by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 6 holds 390 sentences of Erling the Bold, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Erling the Bold by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 6 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 Erling the Bold by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21730 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21730, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Erling the Bold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Erling the Bold 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 Erling the Bold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
