Chapter 2 of A Little Book for Christmas is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Little Book for Christmas is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The other pointed to the safe. “But you were—” “Of course I was. You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you? I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.” The other brother nodded.
Chapter 2 of A Little Book for Christmas is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.””
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
possessive form of “name” — a language unit by which a person or thing is known
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The other brother nodded.”
having a point
From this reading “The other pointed to the safe.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “The other pointed to the safe.”
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading The other brother nodded.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
a young female
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
possessive form of “name” — a language unit by which a person or thing is known
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The other brother nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other pointed to the safe.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
have ownership or possession of
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
having a point
From this reading The other pointed to the safe.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading The other pointed to the safe.
express a supposition
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The other pointed to the safe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The other pointed to the safe.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I’ve got a little girl of my own, and her name’s Helen, too; our mother’s name.”
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading You don’t suppose I wandered in for fun, do you?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But you were—” “Of course I was.
Chapter 2 of A Little Book for Christmas by Cyrus Townsend Brady holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 2 holds 453 sentences of A Little Book for Christmas, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Little Book for Christmas by Cyrus Townsend Brady exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 2 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 Little Book for Christmas by Cyrus Townsend Brady on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1368 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15343 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15343, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 114 minutes of reading across 274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Little Book for Christmas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of A Little Book for Christmas 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 Little Book for Christmas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
