Chapter 13 of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You were at Waterloo," said the French officer. "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick. "And at Badajos." Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider. What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
Chapter 13 of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “"I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.”
deem to be
From this reading “Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.”
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading “"You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.”
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading “"You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.”
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.”
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.”
a town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat
From this reading “"You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And at Badajos."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And at Badajos."
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.
deem to be
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
express in words
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was," said Captain Richard Doubledick.
a town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What shall I do, and how shall I tell him?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Left alone with the sound of his own stern voice in his ears, he sat down to consider.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You were at Waterloo," said the French officer.
Chapter 13 of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles by Charles [Contributor] Dickens holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles by Charles [Contributor] Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles by Charles [Contributor] Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5351 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1071 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles 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 A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
