Chapter 3 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics. It slipped easily on his finger. "There," said the witch. "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room. It would be hard to get out."
Chapter 3 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading “It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.”
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading “"Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “It slipped easily on his finger.”
plural of “hieroglyphic” — writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible)
From this reading “It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.”
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading “It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.”
shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form
From this reading “"Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “"There," said the witch.”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “It would be hard to get out."”
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 It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
a translucent red or orange variety of chalcedony
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading It slipped easily on his finger.
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading It slipped easily on his finger.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
plural of “hieroglyphic” — writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible)
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It slipped easily on his finger.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It slipped easily on his finger.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There," said the witch.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading It slipped easily on his finger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "There," said the witch.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There," said the witch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
during the time that
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading "There," said the witch.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a silver ring with a curiously shaped cornelian, carved with hieroglyphics.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be hard to get out."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now don't for pity sake wish for a trained elephant while you are in your room.
Chapter 3 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 3 holds 92 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 3 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 Flecker's magic by Norman Matson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75585 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75585, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 687 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Flecker's magic section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Flecker's magic 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 Flecker's magic, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
