Chapter 1 of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This edition consists of but 357 copies. This book is Number 237 I. The Child II. The Dream III. The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved. For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
Chapter 1 of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
third-person singular of “consist” — originate
From this reading “This edition consists of but 357 copies.”
plural of “copy” — a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “This edition consists of but 357 copies.”
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “The Dream III.”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “This edition consists of but 357 copies.”
something acquired without compensation
From this reading “The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.”
held dear
From this reading “The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.”
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading “This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.”
strange in an interesting or pleasing way
From this reading “For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.”
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 “This edition consists of but 357 copies.”
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 This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
a young person of either sex
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
third-person singular of “consist” — originate
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
plural of “copy” — a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
dearly loved
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading The Dream III.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The Dream III.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
held dear
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
strange in an interesting or pleasing way
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This book is Number 237 I. The Child II.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This edition consists of but 357 copies.
precisely as stated
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For people did love her very much, she was so quaint and dear.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The Gift _The Child_ This, little Dear-My-Love, is the story of a Child whom I am sure you would have loved.
Chapter 1 of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story by Marion Cook Stow holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 249 sentences of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story by Marion Cook Stow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story by Marion Cook Stow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67034 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67034, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 20 minutes of reading across 50 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story 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 The Child and the Dream: A Christmas Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
