Chapter 2 of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule. But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful? All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present! Everybody!" "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
Chapter 2 of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
every person
From this reading “All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading “Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.”
your parents
From this reading “"Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"”
evoking or deserving hatred
From this reading “But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?”
go across or through
From this reading “"Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"”
plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “"Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"”
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading “Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.”
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “"Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"”
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 All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
every person
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
your parents
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
the act of departing
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
evoking or deserving hatred
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
immediately past
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
go across or through
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
precisely, exactly
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
carry out
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading All I can think of is that Everybody in town is going to give me a present!
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
the act of using
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
at the time that
From this reading But what's the use of being right when it's so hateful?
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Budlong went on twisting her fingers: "Oh, of course you're right, Ule.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Can't you take your last year's presents and pass 'em along to other folks?"
Chapter 2 of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents by Rupert Hughes holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 2 holds 411 sentences of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents by Rupert Hughes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 2 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 Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents by Rupert Hughes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12881 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12881, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 70 minutes of reading across 170 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents 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 Mrs. Budlong's Christmas Presents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
