Chapter 30 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The witch's room was dark now. There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen. Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop. "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead. Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
Chapter 30 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.”
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.”
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading “There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.”
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.”
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading “There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.”
short and blunt
From this reading “There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “The witch's room was dark now.”
possessive form of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “The witch's room was dark now.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.”
In this reading “Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.”
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 Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
possessing life
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
have
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
the act of departing
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
in the near future
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
short and blunt
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
express a supposition
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no sound but the creak of her stubby pen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
possessive form of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading The witch's room was dark now.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Sometimes she watched the page, sometimes she looked at me, or at the ceiling, her hand going without a stop.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "I am a witch," she said, presently, "but I can't bear to admit that yesterday is dead.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you suppose that it is alive somewhere?...
Chapter 30 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 30 holds 116 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 30 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.
