Chapter 1 of Two Christmas Stories is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Two Christmas Stories is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’ _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH. THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON. 1 vol. MICHEL LORIO’S CROSS.
Chapter 1 of Two Christmas Stories is here in full — 509 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/101 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’”
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading “_Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading “_Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.”
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “_Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.”
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading “By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “_Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.”
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading “THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.”
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 “_Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.”
In this reading “By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’”
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 1 vol.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
travel across or pass over
From this reading MICHEL LORIO’S CROSS.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
an ornamental facade
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MICHEL LORIO’S CROSS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MICHEL LORIO’S CROSS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By the Author of ‘Jessica’s First Prayer.’
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
up to a particular time
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1 vol.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Uniform with this Volume, gilt, cloth limp, each with Frontispiece._ FRIENDS TILL DEATH.
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading THE WORTH OF A BABY and HOW APPLE-TREE COURT WAS WON.
Chapter 1 of Two Christmas Stories by Hesba Stretton holds 509 sentences, grouped into 102 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 1 holds 509 sentences of Two Christmas Stories, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Two Christmas Stories by Hesba Stretton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 509 sentences, grouped into 102 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 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 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 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.
Common questions about reading Two Christmas Stories by Hesba Stretton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 960 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65830 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65830, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 80 minutes of reading across 192 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Two Christmas Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Two Christmas Stories 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 Two Christmas Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
