Chapter 3 of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following. Maidie hesitated. It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement. "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her. "I must go back and try to make it right.
Chapter 3 of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)
From this reading “She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.”
with resolute determination
From this reading “"No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.”
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “Maidie hesitated.”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
with resolute determination
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Maidie hesitated.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maidie hesitated.
engage in
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
not any; not one
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "I must go back and try to make it right.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
precisely as stated
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was so easy to go in, to forget everything in the light and warmth and excitement.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
which person or people
From this reading "No," said she, very firmly, and as much to herself as to the young man who stood waiting for her.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She led the way as she spoke, the two girls and young Armstrong following.
Chapter 3 of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories by Asa Don [Editor] Dickinson holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 3 holds 430 sentences of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories by Asa Don [Editor] Dickinson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 3 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 Children's Book of Christmas Stories by Asa Don [Editor] Dickinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5061 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5061, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Children's Book of Christmas Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Children's Book of Christmas Stories 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 Children's Book of Christmas Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
