Chapter 1 of On Christmas Day In The Evening is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of On Christmas Day In The Evening is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then. That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!" 22 "Billy!" His sister Margaret's voice was anxious. "Are you sure you'd better?"
Chapter 1 of On Christmas Day In The Evening is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/130 · 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 short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “22 "Billy!"”
(Greek mythology) the Muse of epic poetry
From this reading “That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"”
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.”
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"”
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"”
travel by means of steam power
From this reading “That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 22 "Billy!"
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
eagerly desirous
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you sure you'd better?"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Are you sure you'd better?"
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading 22 "Billy!"
(Greek mythology) the Muse of epic poetry
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
an ornamental facade
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
travel by means of steam power
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Are you sure you'd better?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
a special situation
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On Christmas Day In The Evening "It's a good thing to exercise the imagination, now and then.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His sister Margaret's voice was anxious.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That's the way changes come" _Frontispiece_ Facing Page "Cut it out--cut out the steam calliope!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you sure you'd better?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are you sure you'd better?"
Chapter 1 of On Christmas Day In The Evening by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond holds 650 sentences, grouped into 130 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 650 sentences of On Christmas Day In The Evening, unabridged, divided into 130 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of On Christmas Day In The Evening by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 650 sentences, grouped into 130 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 130 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 130 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 On Christmas Day In The Evening by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 650 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19384 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19384, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 54 minutes of reading across 130 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Christmas Day In The Evening section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of On Christmas Day In The Evening 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 On Christmas Day In The Evening, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
