Chapter 1 of Merkland is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Merkland is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family? The name is not uncommon." "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross. The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine. I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
Chapter 1 of Merkland is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “"But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?”
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “"But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?”
possessive form of “catherine” — first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “"But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?”
a connecting shape
From this reading “The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.”
make right or correct
From this reading “"You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.”
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading “"You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.”
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading “"You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.”
not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind
From this reading “The name is not uncommon."”
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.
In this reading “I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."”
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 The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
possessive form of “catherine” — first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
a connecting shape
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
make right or correct
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
a female human offspring
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
a social unit living together
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
a young female
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The name is not uncommon."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The name is not uncommon."
not any; not one
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
To recall to mind.
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The name is not uncommon."
in or at that place or location
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I have little doubt that this girl is his daughter."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind
From this reading The name is not uncommon."
precisely as stated
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
someone who visits
From this reading "But may not Mrs. Catherine's visitor belong to another family?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The name is by no means a common one; and there was some very distant connexion, I remember, between the Aytouns and Mrs. Catherine.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will permit me to correct you, Miss Ross.
Chapter 1 of Merkland by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 247 sentences of Merkland, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Merkland by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 Merkland by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43811 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43811, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1648 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merkland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Merkland 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 Merkland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
