Chapter 11 of The Letters of Robert Burns is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Letters of Robert Burns is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
R. B. * * * * * CLXV.--TO MR. CUNNINGHAM. 11_th June_ 1791. Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
Chapter 11 of The Letters of Robert Burns is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)
From this reading “CUNNINGHAM.”
dearly loved
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
a man of refinement
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
the month following May and preceding July
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited
From this reading “Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.”
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 11_th June_ 1791.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 11_th June_ 1791.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading R. B.
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
being five more than one hundred sixty
From this reading * * * * * CLXV.--TO MR.
United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)
From this reading CUNNINGHAM.
dearly loved
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
a man of refinement
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading 11_th June_ 1791.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
a form of address for a man
From this reading * * * * * CLXV.--TO MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading R. B.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading 11_th June_ 1791.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * CLXV.--TO MR.
plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
which person or people
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Let me interest you, my dear Cunningham, in behalf of the gentleman who waits on you with this.
Chapter 11 of The Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 11 holds 393 sentences of The Letters of Robert Burns, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 11 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 Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 433 minutes of reading across 1040 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Letters of Robert Burns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Letters of Robert Burns 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 Letters of Robert Burns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
