Chapter 28 of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’ ‘Hood her up, Dick! The worthless haggard! Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure. Curse her!
Chapter 28 of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading “‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “The worthless haggard!”
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading “‘Hood her up, Dick!”
qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
From this reading “Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.”
plural of “peer” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading “‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’”
lacking kindness
From this reading “‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’”
make whistling sounds
From this reading “Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.”
lacking in usefulness or value
From this reading “The worthless haggard!”
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 “‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’”
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 Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
(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 ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading Curse her!
someone who is a detective
From this reading ‘Hood her up, Dick!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The worthless haggard!
stable gear consisting of either of two curved supports that are attached to the collar of a draft horse and that hold the traces
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘Hood her up, Dick!
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading ‘Hood her up, Dick!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
plural of “peer” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
activities associated with sexual intercourse
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The worthless haggard!
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
lacking kindness
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading ‘Hood her up, Dick!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
make whistling sounds
From this reading Like all her sex, I would not trust her a bow-shot out of hearing of the whistle, out of sight of the lure.
lacking in usefulness or value
From this reading The worthless haggard!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading ‘But had I kenn’d or I cam’ frae hame, How thou unkind wad’st been to me, I would have kept my Border-side, In spite of all thy peers and thee.’
Chapter 28 of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 28 holds 182 sentences of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 28 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 5301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49953 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49953, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1061 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood 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 Queen's Maries: A Romance of Holyrood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
