Chapter 4 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town. ‘What news, what news now, George Gordon? Whats news hae you to me?
Chapter 4 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “‘What news, what news now, George Gordon?”
cut with a saw
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.”
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.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whats news hae you to me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Whats news hae you to me?
information about recent and important events
From this reading ‘What news, what news now, George Gordon?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading ‘What news, what news now, George Gordon?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
cut with a saw
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He is dune him to the weir-window, The stauncheons were oer strong; There he saw him Lord George Gordon Come haisling to the town.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ‘What news, what news now, George Gordon?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whats news hae you to me?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Whats news hae you to me?
Chapter 4 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child holds 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 4 holds 486 sentences of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5), unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 4 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 4 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 20473 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63116 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63116, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 4095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (of 5) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 4 (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 4 (of 5), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
