Chapter 9 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Can we go inside and talk?" he said. The old man nodded. Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them. Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew. And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
Chapter 9 of Highland Ballad is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
equally
From this reading “And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.”
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading “And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.”
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading “Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.”
an opinion formed by judging something
From this reading “And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.”
the act of searching for something
From this reading “And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.”
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.
anew
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
equally
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
(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 Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
an opinion formed by judging something
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man nodded.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The old man nodded.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man nodded.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
the act of searching for something
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man nodded.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Michael had laid out the facts as he understood them, told his friend all that he knew.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading And now he waited on his judgment, seeking aid and counsel alike.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading Again they sat before the fire, grateful for its warmth, and for the strong walls around them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Can we go inside and talk?" he said.
Chapter 9 of Highland Ballad by Christopher Leadem holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 9 holds 434 sentences of Highland Ballad, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Highland Ballad by Christopher Leadem exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 9 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
