Chapter 23 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably. "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!" "Over my head," I admitted, gently. The big words meant something to her. She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.
Chapter 23 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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 “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"Over my head," I admitted, gently.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “"Over my head," I admitted, gently.”
past form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading “She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.”
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading “She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “The big words meant something to her.”
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “"I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"”
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “"I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.”
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.
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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "Over my head," I admitted, gently.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
in a gradual manner
From this reading "Over my head," I admitted, gently.
past form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Over my head," I admitted, gently.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
in a petulant manner
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
above and across; more than
From this reading "Over my head," I admitted, gently.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I mean I felt my spirit reflected, the hypostatized nothing!"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading She gnawed her knuckles, thinking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The big words meant something to her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You _don't_ understand!" she said irritably.
Chapter 23 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 23 holds 82 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 23 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.
