Chapter 9 of The Christmas Reindeer is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Christmas Reindeer is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot. As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face. Whitefoot stood without motion. It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly. He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
Chapter 9 of The Christmas Reindeer is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.”
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading “THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.”
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading “THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.”
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading “As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.”
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading “As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.”
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading “It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.”
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading “It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.”
in a willing manner
From this reading “He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.”
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.
communicate the intended meaning or impression
In this reading “As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.”
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 He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
for the reason that
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
in a gradual manner
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading Whitefoot stood without motion.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
above and across; more than
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
on the contrary
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
not in physical motion
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Whitefoot stood without motion.
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As Santa Claus talked, he came over to Whitefoot and gently stroked his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the more surprising, because Whitefoot had always been rather unruly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CHOSEN DEER Tuktu still sat on the back of Whitefoot.
in a willing manner
From this reading He never had been one to willingly acknowledge a master.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Whitefoot stood without motion.
Chapter 9 of The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 9 holds 69 sentences of The Christmas Reindeer, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Christmas Reindeer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 9 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 Reindeer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1457 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64109 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64109, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 121 minutes of reading across 292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Christmas Reindeer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Christmas Reindeer 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 Reindeer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
