Chapter 12 of The White Christmas and other Merry is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The White Christmas and other Merry is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PETER (_looking in kettle_). Boilin', mammy, boilin'. MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_). Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly? Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
Chapter 12 of The White Christmas and other Merry is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
start firing a weapon
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading “MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).”
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading “Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?”
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.”
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “PETER (_looking in kettle_).”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
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 Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Boilin', mammy, boilin'.
at any time
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
start firing a weapon
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PETER (_looking in kettle_).
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
From this reading PETER (_looking in kettle_).
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading PETER (_looking in kettle_).
an offensive term for a Black nursemaid in the southern U.S.
From this reading Boilin', mammy, boilin'.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?
not any; not one
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading PETER (_looking in kettle_).
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MARTHA (_sitting in front of the fire_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Be it ever so humble there's no place like home.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Oh, mumsy, ain't this Heavenly?
Chapter 12 of The White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 12 holds 400 sentences of The White Christmas and other Merry, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 12 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 White Christmas and other Merry by Walter Ben Hare 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 White Christmas and other Merry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The White Christmas and other Merry 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 White Christmas and other Merry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
