Chapter 5 of This Way to Christmas is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of This Way to Christmas is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then Santa did the funniest thing. He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks. “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he. “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help. The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
Chapter 5 of This Way to Christmas is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.”
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading ““It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.”
a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
From this reading ““Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.”
superlative of “funny” — arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “Then Santa did the funniest thing.”
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading “Then Santa did the funniest thing.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading ““Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.”
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 ““It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.”
In this reading “Then Santa did the funniest thing.”
In this reading ““Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.”
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 “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
an officer holding the rank of major or lieutenant colonel or colonel
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
superlative of “funny” — arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “Fee, fi, fo, fum—I’m a stupid old fool!” said he.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He blew his nose so hard that he blew tears into his eyes and down his cheeks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
a special situation
From this reading Then Santa did the funniest thing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
which person or people
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world is full of spirits who love the children as much as I do.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
an affirmative
From this reading “It’s too late to do Christmas alone this year; but I might—yes, I might—get help.
Chapter 5 of This Way to Christmas by Ruth Sawyer holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 5 holds 386 sentences of This Way to Christmas, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of This Way to Christmas by Ruth Sawyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 5 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 This Way to Christmas by Ruth Sawyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1999 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61210 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61210, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 166 minutes of reading across 400 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through This Way to Christmas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of This Way to 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 This Way to Christmas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
