Chapter 6 of Tales of Folk and Fairies 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 VI
Chapter 6 of Tales of Folk and Fairies is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating. And a good beating it was, I can tell you. When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand. Home he went with only his sore bones for wages. Then it was the second brother's turn.
Chapter 6 of Tales of Folk and Fairies 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.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading “And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.”
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading “Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.”
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “Then it was the second brother's turn.”
a boy or man
From this reading “And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.”
hurting
From this reading “Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.”
dependable
From this reading “And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.”
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading “Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.”
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 And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
(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 And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Then it was the second brother's turn.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
only a very short time before
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
a boy or man
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
and nothing more
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Then it was the second brother's turn.
hurting
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
be standing; be upright
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
dependable
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
express in words
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then it was the second brother's turn.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Then it was the second brother's turn.
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Home he went with only his sore bones for wages.
at the time that
From this reading When the King had finished with him he could hardly stand.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And there on the steps stood the King with a stout rod in his hands, all ready to give the lad a beating.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And a good beating it was, I can tell you.
Chapter 6 of Tales of Folk and Fairies by Katharine Pyle 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 6 holds 423 sentences of Tales of Folk and Fairies, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Tales of Folk and Fairies by Katharine Pyle 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 6 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 Tales of Folk and Fairies by Katharine Pyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2962 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 246 minutes of reading across 593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of Folk and Fairies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Tales of Folk and Fairies 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 Tales of Folk and Fairies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
