Chapter 15 of Laicus is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Laicus is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Our Christmas at Wheathedge. IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas? Is its glorious old patron Saint partial? Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk? Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
Chapter 15 of Laicus is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
plural of “catholic” — a member of a Catholic church
From this reading “IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?”
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"”
plural of “episcopalian” — a member of the Episcopal church
From this reading “IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?”
plural of “lutheran” — follower of Lutheranism
From this reading “IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?”
(economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller
From this reading “IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?”
being or affecting only a part; not total
From this reading “Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?”
a regular customer
From this reading “Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?”
plural of “presbyterian” — a follower of Calvinism as taught in the Presbyterian Church
From this reading “Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"”
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 IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Our Christmas at Wheathedge.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
plural of “catholic” — a member of a Catholic church
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Our Christmas at Wheathedge.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
plural of “episcopalian” — a member of the Episcopal church
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
plural of “lutheran” — follower of Lutheranism
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
(economics) a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
not any; not one
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our Christmas at Wheathedge.
being or affecting only a part; not total
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
a regular customer
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
plural of “presbyterian” — a follower of Calvinism as taught in the Presbyterian Church
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
relating to or characteristic of people of Rome
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
From this reading Is its glorious old patron Saint partial?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Have the December heavens no brightness-the angel host no song for "blue Presbyterians?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
in or at that place or location
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
(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 Has the Christ-child no gifts for us as well as for other folk?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our Christmas at Wheathedge.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading IS there any reason why Episcopalians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics should have a monopoly of Christmas?
Chapter 15 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 115 sentences of Laicus, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Laicus by Lyman Abbott exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 15 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 Laicus by Lyman Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4423 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4954, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Laicus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Laicus 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 Laicus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
