Middle-level Scottish ballad
Tam Lin
A richly illustrated graded reader for adult English learners, with ten chapters, vocabulary support and quiet workbook practice.
Read online with Claire's Scottish narration, tap the vocabulary, and work through the workbook. The first two chapters are free.
Available now. The full ten-chapter reader, interactive workbook, PDFs and Claire narration across the whole story.
Founding price: £12.
Try the opening
The wood was hers. The stories said she should be afraid of it.
This is a small preview of the reading experience: atmosphere first, then language support.
The lord's house stood on a low hill above the wood. It was an old house, with thick walls and small windows, and it had been the house of the same family for many quiet generations.
Claire reads every chapter. She is an ElevenLabs voice chosen for her warm, measured Scottish delivery.
Sample vocabulary
Tap a word and give it somewhere to live
The full reader includes 40 vocabulary cards. Each word is tied to a scene, a sentence and a small memory hook, so the language has more than one way back into the mind.
Preview
See the reader before you buy it
This preview shows the visual world, level and reading rhythm. The full pack includes all ten chapters, Claire narration, vocabulary cards and workbook practice.
How it works
A quiet reading loop
What's in the pack
The full reader, not just a story page
- Full ten-chapter illustrated interactive reader
- About 67 minutes of Claire narration across the story
- 40 vocabulary cards inside the reader
- The Vocabulary Memory tool with all 40 story words pre-loaded by chapter
- Interactive online workbook for comprehension, grammar, retrieval and reflection
- Illustrated Story PDF and a Workbook PDF you can type into or print
- Ten downloadable chapter audio files for offline listening
- Private online Start Here page you can save or bookmark
Good fit
This is for you if
- You are an adult English learner around middle level.
- You want story, atmosphere and comprehensible input.
- You like myths, legends and language with memory in it.
- You want to read and listen without joining a platform.
Not the right fit
This is not for you if
- You are a beginner or want very short, simple sentences.
- You want exam drills or a test-preparation course.
- You want live lessons or personal feedback.
- You only want Business English practice.
Before you choose it
An old ballad told honestly
This edition is for adults. Janet is unmarried and pregnant from Chapter Three onward. The transformation at Miles Cross is the most intense scene. There is no gore and no sex on the page, but the story does not hide its adult themes. Teachers should read the note and story before choosing it for a group.
Tam Lin comes from the Scottish Borders and is catalogued as Child Ballad 39. Carterhaugh is a real place near Selkirk. This retelling keeps the old ballad's central pattern: Janet acts, Tam Lin changes, and she must decide whether to hold on.
Made by Mark Gather
A story in which the woman acts
Janet does not wait to be saved. She enters the wood, asks the questions and takes the risk. This edition gives adult learners vocabulary and grammar support while keeping the old story's strangeness.
MSc Psychology. Twenty years teaching English to adults. Materials design, fluency coaching and story-based learning.
Next step
Start reading today
The reader, workbook and narration are ready. Buy once, read on any device, and your 40 story words are waiting in the Vocabulary Memory tool.