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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 71/71 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.
_Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
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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 71/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 351–355

Line 1
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
/laɪt ənd laɪf tuː ɔːl hiː brɪŋz ˈrɪzən wɪð ˈhiːlɪŋ ɪn hɪz wɪŋz/
Line 2
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.
/maɪld hiː leɪz hɪz ˈɡlɔːri baɪ bɔːrn ðæt mæn noʊ mɔːr meɪ daɪ bɔːrn tuː reɪz ðə sʌnz ʌv ɜːrθ bɔːrn tuː ɡɪv ðem ˈsekənd bɜːrθ/
Line 3
_Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.
/ˈentər ˈproʊlɑːɡ bɪˈfɔːr ðə kloʊzd ˈkɜːrtənz ˈproʊlɑːɡ/
Line 4
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
/naʊ wen ˈdʒiːzəs wɑːz bɔːrn ɪn ˈbeθlɪhem ʌv dʒuːˈdiːə ɪn ðə deɪz ʌv ˈherəd ðə kɪŋ bɪˈhoʊld ðer keɪm waɪz men frʌm ðə iːst tuː dʒərˈuːsələm ˈseɪɪŋ wer ɪz hiː ðæt ɪz bɔːrn kɪŋ ʌv ðə dʒuːz/
Line 5
For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
/fɔːr wiː hæv siːn hɪz stɑːr ɪn ðə iːst ənd ɑːr kʌm tuː ˈwɜːrʃəp hɪm/

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.

Bethlehem noun US /ˈbeθlɪhem/

a town in eastern Pennsylvania on the Lehigh River to the northwest of Philadelphia; an important center for steel production

From this reading “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

healing noun US /ˈhiːlɪŋ/

the natural process by which the body repairs itself

From this reading “Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.”

Herod noun US /ˈherəd/

king of Judea who (according to the New Testament) tried to kill Jesus by ordering the death of all children under age two in Bethlehem (73-4 BC)

From this reading “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

Jerusalem noun US /dʒərˈuːsələm/

capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel (although its status as capital is disputed)

From this reading “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

Jews noun US /dʒuːz/

plural of “jew” — a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties

From this reading “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

Judea noun US /dʒuːˈdiːə/

the southern part of ancient Palestine succeeding the kingdom of Judah; a Roman province at the time of Christ

From this reading “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

lays noun US /leɪz/

plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

From this reading “Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”

prologue noun US /ˈproʊlɑːɡ/

an introduction to a play

From this reading “_Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading _Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.

beholdverbUS /bɪˈhoʊld/

see with attention

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

BethlehemnounUS /ˈbeθlɪhem/

a town in eastern Pennsylvania on the Lehigh River to the northwest of Philadelphia; an important center for steel production

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

birthnounUS /bɜːrθ/

the time when something begins (especially life)

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

BornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

bringsverbUS /brɪŋz/

third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading _Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

curtainsnounUS /ˈkɜːrtənz/

plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)

From this reading _Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

dieverbUS /daɪ/

pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

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

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

EnterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading _Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

glorynounUS /ˈɡlɔːri/

a state of high honor

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

healingnounUS /ˈhiːlɪŋ/

the natural process by which the body repairs itself

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

HerodnounUS /ˈherəd/

king of Judea who (according to the New Testament) tried to kill Jesus by ordering the death of all children under age two in Bethlehem (73-4 BC)

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

JerusalemnounUS /dʒərˈuːsələm/

capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel (although its status as capital is disputed)

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

JesusnounUS /ˈdʒiːzəs/

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 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

JewsnounUS /dʒuːz/

plural of “jew” — a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

JudeanounUS /dʒuːˈdiːə/

the southern part of ancient Palestine succeeding the kingdom of Judah; a Roman province at the time of Christ

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

laysnounUS /leɪz/

plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

LightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

MildadjectiveUS /maɪld/

moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

PROLOGUEnounUS /ˈproʊlɑːɡ/

an introduction to a play

From this reading _Enter_ PROLOGUE _before the closed curtains._ PROLOGUE.

raiseverbUS /reɪz/

raise the level or amount of something

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

RisenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/

(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

sayingnounUS /ˈseɪɪŋ/

a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

sonsnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

starnounUS /stɑːr/

(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

wingsnounUS /wɪŋz/

a means of flight or ascent

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

wiseadjectiveUS /waɪz/

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

From this reading Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.

worshipverbUS /ˈwɜːrʃəp/

love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol

From this reading For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

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.

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Vocabulary met early in The White Christmas and other Merry

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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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