Chapter 1 of Holly berries from Dickens is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Holly berries from Dickens is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
First Day. A good action is its own reward. _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power. _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue. _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
Chapter 1 of Holly berries from Dickens is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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 word used in exclamations of confusion
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading “_Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.”
compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
From this reading “_Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “_Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.”
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading “A good action is its own reward.”
move upward
From this reading “_Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.”
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading “_Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.”
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.
the quality of being superior
In this reading “_Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.”
In this reading “_Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.”
In this reading “First Day.”
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 good action is its own reward.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading First Day.
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First Day.
compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
a form of address for a man
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading A good action is its own reward.
move upward
From this reading _Martin Chuzzlewit._ In love of home the love of country has its rise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
a special situation
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading _Mr. Pecksniff._ Forgiveness is a high quality, an exalted virtue.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Dickens._ The will to do well ... is the next thing to having the power.
Chapter 1 of Holly berries from Dickens by Charles Dickens holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 170 sentences of Holly berries from Dickens, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Holly berries from Dickens by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Holly berries from Dickens by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71858 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71858, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 14 minutes of reading across 34 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Holly berries from Dickens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Holly berries from Dickens 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 Holly berries from Dickens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
