Chapter 8 of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_]. Wow! Wha--wha---- Who are you? BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED]. _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
Chapter 8 of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a junior Girl Scout
From this reading “BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].”
plural of “dare” — a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading “_Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?”
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading “_Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?”
characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
From this reading “_Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?”
introduce or insert (oneself) in a subtle manner
From this reading “_Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?”
plural of “jump” — a sudden and decisive increase
a small piece of anything (especially a piece that has been snipped off)
From this reading “_Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?”
a joke that seems extremely funny
From this reading “Wow!”
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 “TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].”
In this reading “TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].”
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 TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Wha--wha---- Who are you?
weapons considered collectively
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
a youthful male person
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
a junior Girl Scout
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
plural of “dare” — a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
plural of “fold” — an angular or rounded shape made by folding
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
introduce or insert (oneself) in a subtle manner
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
plural of “jump” — a sudden and decisive increase
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
for more time
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading BROWNIE [_folds his arms and looks contemptuously down on_ TED].
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
a small piece of anything (especially a piece that has been snipped off)
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading TED [_jumps up, and stands off a little way_].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wha--wha---- Who are you?
which person or people
From this reading Wha--wha---- Who are you?
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading _Who_ is this impertinent snip of a boy who dares to insinuate that my master, Santa Claus, is too old and decrepit to do his work any longer?
a joke that seems extremely funny
From this reading Wow!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Wha--wha---- Who are you?
Chapter 8 of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls by Elsie Hobart Carter holds 410 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 8 holds 410 sentences of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls by Elsie Hobart Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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 8 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 Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls by Elsie Hobart Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58546 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58546, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls 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 Christmas Candles: Plays for Boys and Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
