Chapter 36 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself. He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower. It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world. He looked up into the witch's face. She touched his hair gently.
Chapter 36 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.”
French engineer who constructed the Eiffel Tower (1832-1923)
From this reading “He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.”
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.”
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading “He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.”
possessive form of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “He looked up into the witch's face.”
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 “He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.”
seek information from
In this reading “He looked up into the witch's face.”
In this reading “It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.”
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 It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
carefully weighed
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
French engineer who constructed the Eiffel Tower (1832-1923)
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He looked up into the witch's face.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
in a gradual manner
From this reading She touched his hair gently.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading She touched his hair gently.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She touched his hair gently.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He looked up into the witch's face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up into the witch's face.
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
not any; not one
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
participate in games or sport
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
in a serious manner
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She touched his hair gently.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
having come into contact
From this reading She touched his hair gently.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up into the witch's face.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
at the time that
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He saw why he had not seriously considered the miracle of the Eiffel Tower.
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading Flecker had quailed when first the witch began to talk, but now he was more sure of himself.
possessive form of “witch” — a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading He looked up into the witch's face.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It was no sort of a joke for an artist to play upon the world.
Chapter 36 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 36 holds 172 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 36 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.
