Chapter 1 of The Christmas gift is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Christmas gift is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Riverdale Books. THE CHRISTMAS GIFT. A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS. AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c. BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
Chapter 1 of The Christmas gift is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.”
your parents
From this reading “A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.”
something acquired without compensation
From this reading “THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.”
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.”
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.”
plural of “successor” — a person who follows next in order
From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.”
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.
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 BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
anew
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
(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 AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading The Riverdale Books.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
your parents
From this reading A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Riverdale Books.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
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 A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
plural of “successor” — a person who follows next in order
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Riverdale Books.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.) 1868.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE BOAT CLUB,” “ALL ABOARD,” “NOW OR NEVER,” “TRY AGAIN,” “POOR AND PROUD,” “LITTLE BY LITTLE,” &c.
Chapter 1 of The Christmas gift by Oliver Optic holds 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 359 sentences of The Christmas gift, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Christmas gift by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Christmas gift by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Christmas gift section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Christmas gift 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 Christmas gift, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
