Chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat. "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me." "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince. And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman. "I will help you get the talisman," said the cat.
Chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 36/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 176–180
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.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading “"Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.”
a large and stately mansion
From this reading “And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “"Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.”
An object, such as an inscribed ring or stone, thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.
From this reading “And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.”
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading “"Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I will help you get the talisman," said the cat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
a particular point in time
From this reading "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
An object, such as an inscribed ring or stone, thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
precisely as stated
From this reading "You can help me this very moment," said the Prince.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
which person or people
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And he told the cat who he was, why he had come to the castle, and of his desire to get possession of the talisman.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will help you get the talisman," said the cat.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading "May it some day be within my power to help you as you have helped me."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading "Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.
Chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of The Firelight Fairy Book, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2073 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19207 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19207, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 172 minutes of reading across 415 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Firelight Fairy Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Firelight Fairy Book 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 The Firelight Fairy Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
