Old Christmas
Old Christmas by Washington Irving is available here as the complete text, split into 110 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Old Christmas: from the Sketch Book of Washington Irving by Washington Irving. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #20656.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Old Christmas
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 109 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of Old Christmas by Washington Irving carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #20656, divided into 1 chapters and 110 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read Old Christmas in full?
The complete text of Old Christmas is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #20656 and divided into 110 sections.
This page carries the whole of Old Christmas by Washington Irving, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #20656, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 549 sentences across 1 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Old Christmas divided for reading?
Old Christmas is presented in 1 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Old Christmas as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 110 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 1 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear Old Christmas read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Old Christmas can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Old Christmas can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Old Christmas
Common questions about reading Old Christmas by Washington Irving on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Old Christmas?
Yes. All 549 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20656 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Old Christmas is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #20656, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Old Christmas take to read?
About 45 minutes of reading across 110 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Old Christmas section by section
How to work through Old Christmas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
-
Open a chapter
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Old Christmas to begin.
-
Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
-
Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Old Christmas
Words and structures a reader meets early in Old Christmas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Christmas
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Christmas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Nothing
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Christmas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Beard
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Christmas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Seeing
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Old Christmas; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.