Chapter 3 of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WISHES AND FEARS. _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help? _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help. _Children._ Will you want it then? Please want it--we like helping."
Chapter 3 of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “WISHES AND FEARS.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “_Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?”
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading “Please want it--we like helping."”
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading “_Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please want it--we like helping."”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “_Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.”
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “WISHES AND FEARS.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WISHES AND FEARS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading WISHES AND FEARS.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading Please want it--we like helping."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Children._ Will you want it then?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Please want it--we like helping."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Please want it--we like helping."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading _Children._ Will you want it then?
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _Children._ "Here are the nails, and may we help?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Children._ Will you want it then?
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading WISHES AND FEARS.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Jessie._ You shall if I should want help.
Chapter 3 of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life by Mrs. Molesworth holds 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 3 holds 272 sentences of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 3 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 Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2355 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34045 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34045, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 196 minutes of reading across 471 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life 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 Christmas Child: A Sketch of a Boy-Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
