Chapter 28 of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) is here in full — 546 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) is here in full — 546 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell? Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.' * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_. 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_. 6^4.
Chapter 28 of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) is here in full — 546 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/109 · 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.
very pleasing to the eye
From this reading “* * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.”
make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading “'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “* * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'”
the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6^4.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 6^4.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
very pleasing to the eye
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
placed crosswise
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_.
a piece of armor plate below the breastplate
From this reading 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading 2^2. yon fall: _~fauld~ in margin_.
a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
in the company of; together with
From this reading * * * * * * * 1^1. an a bonnie cow low, _with ~an~ crossed out_.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading 'An see na ye that braid road, Down by yon sunny fell?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yon's the road the wicked gae, An that's the road to hell.'
Chapter 28 of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child holds 546 sentences, grouped into 110 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 28 holds 546 sentences of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5), unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 546 sentences, grouped into 110 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 110 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 110 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 28 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 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 20468 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44969 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44969, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 4094 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5) 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 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1 (of 5), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
