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The Oxford Book of Ballads
The Oxford Book of Ballads

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads is here in full — 1193 sentences across 239 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Oxford Book of Ballads
Context Illustration Reading 1/238 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_35.
Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?
_And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.
III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;
IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Oxford Book of Ballads

Chapter XI

Chapter 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads is here in full — 1193 sentences across 239 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/238 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_35.
Line 2
Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?
Line 3
_And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.
Line 4
III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;
Line 5
IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

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.

bonnie adjective US /ˈbɑːni/

very pleasing to the eye

From this reading “_And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.”

broom noun US /bruːm/

a cleaning implement for sweeping; bundle of straws or twigs attached to a long handle

From this reading “_And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.”

gat noun US /ɡæt/

a gangster's pistol

From this reading “III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;”

greenwood noun US /ˈɡriːnwʊd/

woodlands in full leaf

From this reading “_And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.”

Horn noun US /hɔːrn/

a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

From this reading “Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?”

Horn's noun US /hɔːrnz/

possessive form of “horn” — a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

lan noun US /læn/

a local computer network for communication between computers; especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices

From this reading “Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?”

wages noun US /ˈweɪdʒəz/

a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing

From this reading “III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

long years adjective + noun

In this reading “III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

35

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

From this reading _35.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

ae

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

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

beforn

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

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

birk

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

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

blowsnounUS /bloʊz/

plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

bonnieadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːni/

very pleasing to the eye

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

boundadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

broomnounUS /bruːm/

a cleaning implement for sweeping; bundle of straws or twigs attached to a long handle

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

countrie

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

forbears

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

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

gatnounUS /ɡæt/

a gangster's pistol

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

greenwoodnounUS /ˈɡriːnwʊd/

woodlands in full leaf

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

hey

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

HornnounUS /hɔːrn/

a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

Horn'snounUS /hɔːrnz/

possessive form of “horn” — a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

how

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

Hynd

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

IInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

IIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

IVnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

lannounUS /læn/

a local computer network for communication between computers; especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

lillelu

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

lo

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

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

nane

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

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

servedverbUS /sɜːrvd/

past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading IV ‘But ae sight o’ his ae daughter.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading _And the birk and the broom blows bonnie._ II ‘In good greenwood, there I was born, And all my forbears me beforn.

wagesnounUS /ˈweɪdʒəz/

a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading Hynd Horn_ I Hynd Horn’s bound, love, and Hynd Horn’s free, _With a hey lillelu and a how lo lan;_ Where was ye born, or in what countrie?

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading III ‘O seven long years I served the King, And as for wages I never gat nane;

Chapter 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch holds 1193 sentences, grouped into 239 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 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads contain?

Chapter 11 holds 1193 sentences of The Oxford Book of Ballads, unabridged, divided into 239 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1193 sentences, grouped into 239 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 11 of The Oxford Book of Ballads?

Work through the 239 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 239 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 11 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Oxford Book of Ballads

Common questions about reading The Oxford Book of Ballads by Arthur [Editor] Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Oxford Book of Ballads?

Yes. All 7181 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44593 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Oxford Book of Ballads is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44593, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Oxford Book of Ballads take to read?

About 598 minutes of reading across 1437 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Oxford Book of Ballads section by section

How to work through The Oxford Book of Ballads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Oxford Book of Ballads to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Oxford Book of Ballads

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Oxford Book of Ballads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Thomas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rhymer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cawline
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Aldingar
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Oxford Book of Ballads; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.