Chapter 14 of The country Christmas is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The country Christmas is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven. "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time. "What ails ma?" Hannah shook her head gloomily. "Does anybody know?" she asked.
Chapter 14 of The country Christmas is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading “"What ails ma?"”
any person at all
From this reading “"Does anybody know?" she asked.”
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.”
brought together in one place
From this reading “"What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.”
with gloom
From this reading “Hannah shook her head gloomily.”
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading “ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.”
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 “ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.”
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.
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading "What ails ma?"
any person at all
From this reading "Does anybody know?" she asked.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Does anybody know?" she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Does anybody know?" she asked.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
brought together in one place
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
with gloom
From this reading Hannah shook her head gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hannah shook her head gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Hannah shook her head gloomily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Hannah shook her head gloomily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Does anybody know?" she asked.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "What ails ma?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Does anybody know?" she asked.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Hannah shook her head gloomily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading ON THE TRAIL OF SANTA CLAUS Mrs. Mulvaney failed the seven.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
at the time that
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you think, anyway?" whispered Chinky when the children were gathered in Hannah's room at bed-time.
Chapter 14 of The country Christmas by Frances Margaret Fox holds 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 14 holds 61 sentences of The country Christmas, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The country Christmas by Frances Margaret Fox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 14 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 country Christmas by Frances Margaret Fox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1303 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69068 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69068, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 261 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The country Christmas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The country Christmas 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 country Christmas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
