Chapter 1 of Christmas with Grandma Elsie is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Christmas with Grandma Elsie is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!" Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing. I hope we can go." "O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter. "Won't you give us a holiday?"
Chapter 1 of Christmas with Grandma Elsie is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 3/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 11–15
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.
-ing form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.”
a state at a particular time
From this reading “Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"”
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “"Won't you give us a holiday?"”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"”
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading “Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “"O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter.”
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 "Won't you give us a holiday?"
-ing form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I hope we can go."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter.
a state at a particular time
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Won't you give us a holiday?"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I hope we can go."
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading "Won't you give us a holiday?"
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope we can go."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hope we can go."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Both exclaimed in delight "How beautiful, mamma!"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter.
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Rosie adding, "It must be that the roads are in fine condition for sleighing.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Won't you give us a holiday?"
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading "O mamma, can't we?" cried Walter.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I hope we can go."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Won't you give us a holiday?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Won't you give us a holiday?"
Chapter 1 of Christmas with Grandma Elsie by Martha Finley holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of Christmas with Grandma Elsie, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Christmas with Grandma Elsie by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 with Grandma Elsie by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3298 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14534 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14534, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 660 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Christmas with Grandma Elsie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Christmas with Grandma Elsie 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 with Grandma Elsie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
