Chapter 26 of The Men of the Moss-Hags is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Men of the Moss-Hags is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE. As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind. At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished. "Bide you!" he said. "He'll no ken you!"
Chapter 26 of The Men of the Moss-Hags is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
dwell
From this reading “"Bide you!" he said.”
past form of “dive” — drop steeply
From this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
(slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
From this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
the sound of heavy treading or stomping
From this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
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 “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
In this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
In this reading “THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.”
In this reading “At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.”
In this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
In this reading “As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
dwell
From this reading "Bide you!" he said.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
past form of “dive” — drop steeply
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
(slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Bide you!" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He'll no ken you!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading "He'll no ken you!"
not any; not one
From this reading "He'll no ken you!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
on one occasion
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
above and across; more than
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Bide you!" he said.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE BLACK HORSE COMES TO BALMAGHIE.
in the direction of
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
in the direction of
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the sound of heavy treading or stomping
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
having passed out of existence
From this reading At the first sound of the trampling of his horse, Wat dived at once over the turf dyke and vanished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading As Wat and I went towards the great house in the early gloaming, we became aware of a single horseman riding toward us and gaining on us from behind.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Bide you!" he said.
Chapter 26 of The Men of the Moss-Hags by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 26 holds 100 sentences of The Men of the Moss-Hags, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Men of the Moss-Hags by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 26 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.
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Yes. All 5474 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32137 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32137, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 456 minutes of reading across 1095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Men of the Moss-Hags section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Men of the Moss-Hags 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 Men of the Moss-Hags, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
