Chapter 17 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 47 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 47 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed. Then he was alive. Then he had slept. Then this was Saturday morning. His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
Chapter 17 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 47 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “Then he was alive.”
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
staying power
From this reading “His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “Then this was Saturday morning.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “Then he had slept.”
a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
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 “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
In this reading “His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.”
able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise
In this reading “Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.”
In this reading “His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.”
In this reading “His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.”
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.
possessing life
From this reading Then he was alive.
(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 His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he had slept.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he was alive.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
staying power
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Then this was Saturday morning.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Then this was Saturday morning.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading Then he had slept.
a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
the season of growth
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he was alive.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Then this was Saturday morning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Spike awoke and his breakfast tray was on the table beside his bed.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His chair stood on all four legs as if it were ready to spring at him.
Chapter 17 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 47 sentences, grouped into 10 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 17 holds 47 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 47 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 17 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.
