Chapter 13 of Traced and Tracked is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Traced and Tracked is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife. “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up. I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.” “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly. “More likely you would drag him down with you.
Chapter 13 of Traced and Tracked is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading ““Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading ““That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.”
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading ““More likely you would drag him down with you.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading ““I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.”
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading ““Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.””
(used informally) very small
From this reading “I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.””
showing sorrow
From this reading ““I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.”
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.
come to a halt after driving somewhere
In this reading “I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.””
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 I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
a child: son or daughter
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That can never be,” said the husband, decidedly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
(used informally) very small
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
showing sorrow
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
which person or people
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “I don’t want money, but the bairn I nearly killed,” cried the weeping wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I’m not the first lost woman who has been pulled up to heaven by a bairn’s wee hand.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Money would curse me, but the bairn might lift me up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “More likely you would drag him down with you.
Chapter 13 of Traced and Tracked by James M'Govan holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 13 holds 401 sentences of Traced and Tracked, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Traced and Tracked by James M'Govan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 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.
Common questions about reading Traced and Tracked by James M'Govan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6625 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58711 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58711, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 552 minutes of reading across 1325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Traced and Tracked section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Traced and Tracked 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 Traced and Tracked, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
