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A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories
A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/92 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Look! there's a fellow!
Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.
"Look! there's a fellow!
Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.
"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/92 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Look! there's a fellow!
Line 2
Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.
Line 3
"Look! there's a fellow!
Line 4
Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.
Line 5
"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Learner Dictionary

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.

colors noun US /ˈkʌlərz/

a flag that shows its nationality

From this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feathers noun US /ˈfeðərz/

plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hurts noun US /hɜːrts/

plural of “hurt” — any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nest noun US /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading “Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peacock noun US /ˈpiːkɑːk/

European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot

From this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
screamed verb US /skriːmd/

past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sorts noun US /sɔːrts/

plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sparrows noun US /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading “Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

look at verb + particle

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

296,767 times in 426,211 chapters
all sorts adjective + noun counted as “all sort”

In this reading “"That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.”

25,248 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 42

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Look! there's a fellow!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
approachedverbUS /əˈproʊtʃt/

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
colorsnounUS /ˈkʌlərz/

a flag that shows its nationality

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feathersnounUS /ˈfeðərz/

plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading "Look! there's a fellow!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hurtsnounUS /hɜːrts/

plural of “hurt” — any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "Look! there's a fellow!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nestnounUS /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
one's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Pending verification
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
peacocknounUS /ˈpiːkɑːk/

European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
playingnounUS /ˈpleɪɪŋ/

the act of playing a musical instrument

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
screamedverbUS /skriːmd/

past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sortsnounUS /sɔːrts/

plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/

plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
there's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Look! there's a fellow!

Pending verification
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "That, for certain, is a young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young sparrows, as the old one approached the nest.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories by H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen holds 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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.

What does chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories contain?

Chapter 3 holds 463 sentences of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories by H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories?

Work through the 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 93 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories

Common questions about reading A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories by H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories?

Yes. All 1328 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31103 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31103, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories take to read?

About 110 minutes of reading across 266 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories section by section

How to work through A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Magnet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Summer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Winter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.