Chapter 1 of Stories of the Scottish Border is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Stories of the Scottish Border is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP. I. Bamburgh and its Coast II. Athelstan at Vinheath III. Monks and Minstrels IV. Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
Chapter 1 of Stories of the Scottish Border is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a Scottish word
From this reading “Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.”
a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; “Great Britain” is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
From this reading “_Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.”
the capital of Scotland; located in the Lothian Region on the south side of the Firth of Forth
English historian noted for his works on the history of English law (1850-1906)
From this reading “Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.”
plural of “minstrel” — a singer of folk songs
From this reading “Monks and Minstrels IV.”
plural of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “Monks and Minstrels IV.”
Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
From this reading “Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.”
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “_Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Athelstan at Vinheath III.
the first Saxon ruler who extended his kingdom to include nearly all of England (895-939)
From this reading Athelstan at Vinheath III.
a Scottish word
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; “Great Britain” is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
a boy or man
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
the capital of Scotland; located in the Lothian Region on the south side of the Firth of Forth
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Athelstan at Vinheath III.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading I. Bamburgh and its Coast II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Monks and Minstrels IV.
English historian noted for his works on the history of English law (1850-1906)
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
plural of “minstrel” — a singer of folk songs
From this reading Monks and Minstrels IV.
plural of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading Monks and Minstrels IV.
Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CHAP.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Sir Patrick Spens V. Auld Maitland VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Athelstan at Vinheath III.
Chapter 1 of Stories of the Scottish Border by William Platt holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Stories of the Scottish Border, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Stories of the Scottish Border by William Platt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Stories of the Scottish Border by William Platt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2748 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38845 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38845, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 229 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories of the Scottish Border section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Stories of the Scottish Border 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 Stories of the Scottish Border, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
