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The Letters of Robert Burns
The Letters of Robert Burns

Chapter XIII · Chapter 13

Chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
V.
26_th January_ 1793.
I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.
Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.
On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Letters of Robert Burns

Chapter XIII · Chapter 13

Chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
V.
/viː/
Line 2
26_th January_ 1793.
Line 3
I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.
/aɪ əˈpruːv ˈɡreɪtli maɪ dɪr sɜːr ʌv jɔːr plænz/
Line 4
Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.
Line 5
On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

Learner Dictionary

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.

anecdotes noun US /ˈænəkdoʊts/

plural of “anecdote” — short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)

From this reading “On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.”

appendix noun US /əˈpendɪks/

supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book

From this reading “On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.”

approve verb US /əˈpruːv/

give sanction to

From this reading “I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.”

containing verb US /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component

From this reading “On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.”

Doctor's noun US /ˈdɑːktərz/

possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.”

essay noun US /eˈseɪ/

an analytic or interpretive literary composition

From this reading “Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.”

January noun US /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

Scots noun US /skɑːts/

the dialect of English used in Scotland

From this reading “On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.”

All words in this reading · 39

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.

1793

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 26_th January_ 1793.

26

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 26_th January_ 1793.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

anecdotesnounUS /ˈænəkdoʊts/

plural of “anecdote” — short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

appendixnounUS /əˈpendɪks/

supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

approveverbUS /əˈpruːv/

give sanction to

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

Beattie's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

containingverbUS /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/

-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

Doctor'snounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/

possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

Dr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

drawverbUS /drɔː/

cause to move by pulling

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

essaynounUS /eˈseɪ/

an analytic or interpretive literary composition

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

etc

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading 26_th January_ 1793.

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

plansnounUS /plænz/

plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

ScotsnounUS /skɑːts/

the dialect of English used in Scotland

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

songsnounUS /sɔːŋz/

plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

stocknounUS /stɑːk/

the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

thnounUS /ˈtiːˈeɪtʃ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading 26_th January_ 1793.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

treasurenounUS /ˈtreʒər/

accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading On my part, I mean to draw up an appendix to the Doctor's essay, containing my stock of anecdotes, etc., of our Scots songs.

VnounUS /viː/

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading V.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Dr. Beattie's essay will of itself be a treasure.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I approve greatly, my dear Sir, of your plans.

Chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

What does chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns contain?

Chapter 13 holds 416 sentences of The Letters of Robert Burns, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

How do I study chapter 13 of The Letters of Robert Burns?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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.

Can chapter 13 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 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.

Questions about reading The Letters of Robert Burns

Common questions about reading The Letters of Robert Burns by Robert Burns on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Letters of Robert Burns?

Yes. All 5199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Letters of Robert Burns is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Letters of Robert Burns take to read?

About 433 minutes of reading across 1040 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Letters of Robert Burns

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Letters of Robert Burns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Burns's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Robert Burns; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Robert Burns; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Logie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Robert Burns; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Robertson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Robert Burns; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.