Chapter 1 of Christmas Holidays is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Christmas Holidays is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A VISIT AT HOME. Written for the American Sunday School Union. PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY’S HOUSE. _I. Ashmead, Printer._ A VISIT AT HOME. A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
Chapter 1 of Christmas Holidays is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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 desirable state
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
done or made or performed with purpose and intent
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading “_I. Ashmead, Printer._ A VISIT AT HOME.”
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
possessive form of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading “A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “A VISIT AT HOME.”
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 A VISIT AT HOME.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _I. Ashmead, Printer._ A VISIT AT HOME.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A VISIT AT HOME.
a desirable state
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
done or made or performed with purpose and intent
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading A VISIT AT HOME.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY’S HOUSE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _I. Ashmead, Printer._ A VISIT AT HOME.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
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 A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading _I. Ashmead, Printer._ A VISIT AT HOME.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY’S HOUSE.
an educational institution
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
possessive form of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY’S HOUSE.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
create by training and teaching
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading A VISIT AT HOME.
in or at the place that
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
which person or people
From this reading A mother’s hand the tottering step must guide, Her breast the pillow where the infant lies, And heaven, who gave the precious boon, designed That she should train her infant for the skies.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Written for the American Sunday School Union.
Chapter 1 of Christmas Holidays by Anonymous holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of Christmas Holidays, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Christmas Holidays by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Christmas Holidays by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 221 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67194 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67194, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 18 minutes of reading across 45 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Christmas Holidays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Christmas Holidays 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 Holidays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
