Chapter 9 of Maisie's merry Christmas is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Maisie's merry Christmas is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Are you awake, Jill?" "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice. Lill sighed. "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use. Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
Chapter 9 of Maisie's merry Christmas is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “"Are you awake, Jill?"”
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “"I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Lill sighed.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
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.
In this reading “"Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.”
In this reading “"I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.”
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 "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
any thing at all
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you awake, Jill?"
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading "Are you awake, Jill?"
for the reason that
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are you awake, Jill?"
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lill sighed.
in a mournful manner
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
on the contrary
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Lill sighed.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
express a supposition
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
hard to endure
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
the act of using
From this reading "I can't get to sleep," she said, mournfully, "I'm trying hard, because I promised Mr. Brown, but it isn't any use.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Do you suppose they've heard anything since we went to bed?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said Jill, lifting her head from the pillow with a start, and speaking in a rather choked voice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you awake, Jill?"
Chapter 9 of Maisie's merry Christmas by Nina Rhoades holds 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 9 holds 281 sentences of Maisie's merry Christmas, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Maisie's merry Christmas by Nina Rhoades exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 9 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 Maisie's merry Christmas by Nina Rhoades on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3595 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 299 minutes of reading across 719 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Maisie's merry Christmas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Maisie's merry Christmas 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 Maisie's merry Christmas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
