Chapter 38 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The train lurched to an uncertain halt. From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens. "We had better descend here. Thank you, m'sieu. We are not very aware of our surroundings."
Chapter 38 of Flecker's magic is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 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.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “"We had better descend here.”
cause to stop
From this reading “The train lurched to an uncertain halt.”
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading “From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.”
past form of “lurch” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “The train lurched to an uncertain halt.”
the environmental condition
From this reading “We are not very aware of our surroundings."”
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading “The train lurched to an uncertain halt.”
edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant
From this reading “From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.”
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.
a small garden where vegetables are grown
In this reading “From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.”
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 From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "We had better descend here.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading "We had better descend here.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "We had better descend here.
cause to stop
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "We had better descend here.
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
past form of “lurch” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thank you, m'sieu.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
cut with a saw
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
the environmental condition
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Thank you, m'sieu.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading The train lurched to an uncertain halt.
edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
precisely as stated
From this reading We are not very aware of our surroundings."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We had better descend here.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
in the company of; together with
From this reading From one window they saw an empty field, from the other a hillside checkered with vegetable gardens.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Thank you, m'sieu.
Chapter 38 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 38 holds 80 sentences of Flecker's magic, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Flecker's magic by Norman Matson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 38 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.
