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Christmas-Tide
Christmas-Tide

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Christmas-Tide is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Christmas-Tide
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I do," said Scrooge.
"I must.
But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"
"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.
It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Christmas-Tide

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Christmas-Tide is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I do," said Scrooge.
/aɪ duː sed skruːdʒ/
Line 2
"I must.
/aɪ mʌst/
Line 3
But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"
/bʌt waɪ duː ˈspɪrɪts wɔːk ðə ɜːrθ ənd waɪ duː ðeɪ kʌm tuː miː/
Line 4
"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.
Line 5
It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

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.

abroad adverb US /əˈbrɔːd/

to or in a foreign country

From this reading “"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”

condemned verb US /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading “"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”

doomed adjective US /duːmd/

marked for certain death

From this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

Ghost noun US /ɡoʊst/

a mental representation of some haunting experience

From this reading “"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”

Scrooge noun US /skruːdʒ/

a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend

From this reading “"I do," said Scrooge.”

shared adjective US /ʃerd/

have in common; held or experienced in common

From this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

wander verb US /ˈwɑːndər/

move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

From this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

woe noun US /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

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.

wander through verb + particle

In this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

on earth preposition + noun

used with question words to convey surprise

In this reading “It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"”

travel far verb + particle

In this reading “"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”

after death preposition + noun

In this reading “"It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

abroadadverbUS /əˈbrɔːd/

to or in a foreign country

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

cannot

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

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

condemnedverbUS /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "I do," said Scrooge.

doomedadjectiveUS /duːmd/

marked for certain death

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

fellowmen

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

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

GhostnounUS /ɡoʊst/

a mental representation of some haunting experience

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

goesnounUS /ɡoʊz/

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I do," said Scrooge.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "I must.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

ohnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

requiredadjectiveUS /riˈkwaɪərd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I do," said Scrooge.

ScroogenounUS /skruːdʒ/

a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend

From this reading "I do," said Scrooge.

shareverbUS /ʃer/

have in common

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

sharedadjectiveUS /ʃerd/

have in common; held or experienced in common

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

spiritsnounUS /ˈspɪrɪts/

an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

travelverbUS /ˈtrævəl/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

wanderverbUS /ˈwɑːndər/

move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?"

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading "It is required of every man," the Ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.

witnessnounUS /ˈwɪtnəs/

someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

woenounUS /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading It is doomed to wander through the world--oh, woe is me!--and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!"

Chapter 3 of Christmas-Tide by Elizabeth Harrison holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 Christmas-Tide contain?

Chapter 3 holds 426 sentences of Christmas-Tide, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Christmas-Tide by Elizabeth Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 Christmas-Tide?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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 Christmas-Tide

Common questions about reading Christmas-Tide by Elizabeth Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Christmas-Tide?

Yes. All 2586 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41894 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Christmas-Tide is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41894, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Christmas-Tide take to read?

About 215 minutes of reading across 518 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Christmas-Tide section by section

How to work through Christmas-Tide section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of Christmas-Tide to begin.

  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 Christmas-Tide

Words and structures a reader meets early in Christmas-Tide, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christmas-Tide; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Harrison's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christmas-Tide; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Kindergarten
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christmas-Tide; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christmas-Tide; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.