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The White Christmas and other Merry
The White Christmas and other Merry

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The White Christmas and other Merry
Context Illustration Reading 64/71 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.
For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.
And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!
TIMOTHY.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The White Christmas and other Merry

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 64/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 316–320

Line 1
For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.
/fɔːr bɪˈhoʊld aɪ brɪŋ juː ɡlæd ˈtaɪdɪŋz ʌv ɡreɪt dʒɔɪ/
Line 2
For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.
Line 3
And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.
Line 4
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!
/ˈɡlɔːri tuː ɡɑːd ɪn ðə ˈhaɪəst ənd ɑːn ɜːrθ piːs ɡʊd wɪl təˈwɔːrd men/
Line 5
TIMOTHY.
/ˈtɪməθi/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Babe noun US /beɪb/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading “And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.”

Christ noun US /kraɪst/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading “For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.”

David noun US /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading “For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.”

heavenly adjective US /ˈhevənli/

relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven

From this reading “And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.”

manger noun US /ˈmeɪndʒər/

a container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed

From this reading “And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.”

tidings noun US /ˈtaɪdɪŋz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading “For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.”

timothy noun US /ˈtɪməθi/

grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay

From this reading “TIMOTHY.”

Wrapped adjective US /ræpt/

covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak

From this reading “And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

BabenounUS /beɪb/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

beholdverbUS /bɪˈhoʊld/

see with attention

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

ChristnounUS /kraɪst/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

clothesnounUS /kloʊðz/

clothing in general

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

DavidnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

GlorynounUS /ˈɡlɔːri/

a state of high honor

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

heavenlyadjectiveUS /ˈhevənli/

relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

highestadjectiveUS /ˈhaɪəst/

superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

LyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

mangernounUS /ˈmeɪndʒər/

a container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

peacenounUS /piːs/

the state prevailing during the absence of war

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

Saviournoun

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

signnounUS /saɪn/

a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

swaddling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

tidingsnounUS /ˈtaɪdɪŋz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

TIMOTHYnounUS /ˈtɪməθi/

grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay

From this reading TIMOTHY.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

untoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

WhichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Saviour Which is Christ, the Lord.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men!

WrappedadjectiveUS /ræpt/

covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

YepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading And this shall be the sign unto you: Ye shall find the heavenly Babe Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading For behold I bring you glad tidings Of great joy.

Chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare holds 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

What does chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry contain?

Chapter 1 holds 355 sentences of The White Christmas and other Merry, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The White Christmas and other Merry?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The White Christmas and other Merry

Common questions about reading The White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The White Christmas and other Merry?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The White Christmas and other Merry is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The White Christmas and other Merry take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The White Christmas and other Merry

Words and structures a reader meets early in The White Christmas and other Merry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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