Chapter 8 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"---kill you myself!" cried the bound man. "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!" "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned. "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't. For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
Chapter 8 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
confined by bonds
From this reading “"---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.”
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading “For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “"---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.”
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading “"Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.”
by chance
From this reading “"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't.”
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading “"Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “"So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.”
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 "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
confined by bonds
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
lacking in interest or care or feeling
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "So help me, Ballard, you won't live to see the new year!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "---kill you myself!" cried the bound man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah, now, your majesty," said the other, unconcerned.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading For the time, though, I think you'd best concern yourself with yourself.
Chapter 8 of Highland Ballad by Christopher Leadem holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 8 holds 423 sentences of Highland Ballad, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Highland Ballad by Christopher Leadem exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 8 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 Highland Ballad by Christopher Leadem on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4703 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 941 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Highland Ballad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Highland Ballad 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 Highland Ballad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
