Chapter 1 of Joe Strong, the boy wizard is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Joe Strong, the boy wizard is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it? That’s what I’d like to know.” “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.” “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t. The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
Chapter 1 of Joe Strong, the boy wizard is here in full — 173 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.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading ““So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.””
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.”
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading “The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.””
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.””
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading “JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading ““So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.””
third-person singular of “solve” — find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading “JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading ““So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.””
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.
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.””
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 JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
precisely, exactly
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
third-person singular of “solve” — find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading JOE SOLVES A PUZZLE “How did he do it?
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The more I think of it the more I believe that the professor really is a magician, in a certain way.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, I’ve tried to guess, but I can’t.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That’s what I’d like to know.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “So would I. It sure was a queer trick all right—and it looked so easy, too.”
Chapter 1 of Joe Strong, the boy wizard by Vance Barnum holds 173 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 1 holds 173 sentences of Joe Strong, the boy wizard, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Joe Strong, the boy wizard by Vance Barnum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 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 1 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 Joe Strong, the boy wizard by Vance Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joe Strong, the boy wizard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Joe Strong, the boy wizard 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 Joe Strong, the boy wizard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
