Chapter 19 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens. She said, 'Wish for happiness.' She had on a black hat and she was a witch!" He looked slyly across the table. "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
Chapter 19 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.”
the capital and largest city of Luxembourg
From this reading “"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.”
by chance
From this reading “"I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."”
a building where people go to eat
From this reading “"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.”
your consciousness of your own identity
From this reading “"I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."”
in an artful manner
From this reading “He looked slyly across the table.”
a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading “"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “She had on a black hat and she was a 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.
In this reading “"I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."”
In this reading “He looked slyly across the table.”
a woman who is old
In this reading “"An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.”
In this reading “She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"”
In this reading “She said, 'Wish for happiness.'”
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 "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He looked slyly across the table.
anew
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She said, 'Wish for happiness.'
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading She said, 'Wish for happiness.'
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked slyly across the table.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked slyly across the table.
the capital and largest city of Luxembourg
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
by chance
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
a building where people go to eat
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
your consciousness of your own identity
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said, 'Wish for happiness.'
in an artful manner
From this reading He looked slyly across the table.
a transient variation in voltage or current
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He looked slyly across the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
hope for; have a wish
From this reading She said, 'Wish for happiness.'
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading She had on a black hat and she was a witch!"
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "An old woman spoke to me in a restaurant," said Spike, "and again in the Luxembourg Gardens.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought maybe it was you being an old woman, or being your real self...."
Chapter 19 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 19 holds 102 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 19 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.
