Chapter 5 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5) is here in full — 1003 sentences across 201 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5) is here in full — 1003 sentences across 201 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see? They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’ ‘Heyday! Godzounds! Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
Chapter 5 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5) is here in full — 1003 sentences across 201 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/200 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?”
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading “‘Heyday!”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?”
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading “They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’”
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.
In this reading “Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
a man whose wife committed adultery
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Godzounds!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading ‘Heyday!
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They are three skimming-dishes, my mother sent to me.’
precisely as stated
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Skimming-dishes with hat-bands on! the like was never known!’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Why, you old cuckold, blind cuckold, can’t you very well see?
Chapter 5 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child holds 1003 sentences, grouped into 201 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 5 holds 1003 sentences of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5), unabridged, divided into 201 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1003 sentences, grouped into 201 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 201 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 201 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 5 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 5 (of 5) by Francis James [Editor] Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 42637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71104 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71104, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 8528 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 5 (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 5 (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 5 (of 5), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
