Chapter 1 of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf. BY HORATIO ALGER, JR. BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET. 1856. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Chapter 1 of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading “BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.”
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading “BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.”
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”
a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”
a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading “BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.”
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.
In this reading “Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1856.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
United States author of inspirational adventure stories for boys; virtue and hard work overcome poverty (1832-1899)
From this reading BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading BY HORATIO ALGER, JR.
a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
a vivid mental image
From this reading BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION: An Autumn Sheaf.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading BOSTON: BROWN, BAZIN, AND COMPANY, 94, WASHINGTON STREET.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by HORATIO ALGER, JR., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Chapter 1 of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 1 holds 404 sentences of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 1 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 Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2006 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56222 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56222, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf 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 Bertha's Christmas Vision: An Autumn Sheaf, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
