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Old Mortality, Volume 1.
Old Mortality, Volume 1.

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for Old Mortality, Volume 1.
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!
Old Ballad.
We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.
Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.
They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Old Mortality, Volume 1.

Chapter XV

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!
Line 2
Old Ballad.
Line 3
We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.
Line 4
Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.
Line 5
They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!”

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.”

Ere conjunction US /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading “They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.”

Towards preposition US /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading “Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

arms

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

Ballad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Ballad.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

Bothwell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

captivity

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

charge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

Claverhouse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

column

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

command

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

companions

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

custody

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

Evandale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

fly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

followed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

formed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

frae

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

galloped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

grip

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

hawks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

hills

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

hounds

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

immediately

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

insurgent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

lands

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

lay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

lord

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

march

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

masterless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

maun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

mile

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

Morton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

Old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Ballad.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

orderly-men

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

past

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

places

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

preceded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

presbyterians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

proper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

prosecuted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

quarter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

rear-guard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

reported

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

rin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

route

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

Sergeant

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

small

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

soldiers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had not prosecuted their march a quarter of a mile ere Claverhouse and Evandale galloped past them, followed by their orderly-men, in order to take their proper places in the column which preceded them.

three

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

travelling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

tree

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

vassal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My hounds may a' rin masterless, My hawks may fly frae tree to tree, My lord may grip my vassal lands, For there again maun I never be!

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Their route lay towards the hills in which the insurgent presbyterians were reported to be in arms.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We left Morton, along with three companions in captivity, travelling in the custody of a small body of soldiers, who formed the rear-guard of the column under the command of Claverhouse, and were immediately under the charge of Sergeant Bothwell.