Chapter 32 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place. But I haven't worked for three weeks. Business was bad. This is why I have had so much time for the witch. But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
Chapter 32 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading “But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.”
a line of approach
From this reading “"I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.”
a shop that sells women's clothes and jewelry
not divided or shared with others
From this reading “"I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.”
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “"I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.”
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading “But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “This is why I have had so much time for 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.
In this reading “But I haven't worked for three weeks.”
In this reading “But I haven't worked for three weeks.”
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 "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
a line of approach
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Business was bad.
a shop that sells women's clothes and jewelry
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Business was bad.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
divisible by two
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
not divided or shared with others
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
do one's shopping
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I sell hats," Marie said, "in a _boutique_ on the _rue d'Antin_--the second shop from the avenue, an exclusive little place.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
precisely as stated
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Business was bad.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
at the time that
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading This is why I have had so much time for the witch.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading But I never work very steadily, even when Americans are thick.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading But I haven't worked for three weeks.
Chapter 32 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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 32 holds 70 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 32 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.
