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The Firelight Fairy Book
The Firelight Fairy Book

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Firelight Fairy Book
Context Illustration Reading 49/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.
Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.
There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.
Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."
So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Firelight Fairy Book

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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 49/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 241–245

Line 1
"Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.
/bɔɪ sed hiː let ˈnʌθɪŋ ðæt juː hiːr ɔːr siː meɪk juː əˈfreɪd/
Line 2
Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.
/biː əˈʃʊrd ðæt noʊ ˈpaʊər ɔːr ˈspɪrət kæn hɑːrm juː/
Line 3
There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.
/ðer ɪz ˈoʊnli wʌn ˈdiːmən ɪn ðə wɜːrld huːz ˈpaʊər ɪz ˈɡreɪtər ðæn maɪn ənd ðæt ɪz fɪr hɪmˈself/
Line 4
Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."
/biː breɪv kiːp ðə dɔːrz ʌv jɔːr hɑːrt lɑːkt əˈɡenst fɪr biː ˈfeɪθfəl ənd juː ʃæl ˈnevər hæv kɑːz tuː rəˈɡret jɔːr ˈkʌmɪŋ/
Line 5
So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

Learner Dictionary

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.

ashamed adjective US /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading “So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.”

assured adjective US /əˈʃʊrd/

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading “Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.”

demon noun US /ˈdiːmən/

an evil supernatural being

From this reading “There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.”

fail verb US /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading “So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.”

faithful adjective US /ˈfeɪθfəl/

steadfast in affection or allegiance

From this reading “Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."”

knock verb US /nɑːk/

deliver a sharp blow or push

From this reading “So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.”

locked verb US /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading “Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."”

regret verb US /rəˈɡret/

feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

From this reading “Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

afraidadjectiveUS /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

allowedverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

ashamedadjectiveUS /əˈʃeɪmd/

feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

assuredadjectiveUS /əˈʃʊrd/

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

Beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

BoynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

braveadjectiveUS /breɪv/

possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

couragenounUS /ˈkɜːrədʒ/

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

demonnounUS /ˈdiːmən/

an evil supernatural being

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

doorsnounUS /dɔːrz/

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

failverbUS /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

faithfuladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪθfəl/

steadfast in affection or allegiance

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

FearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

Florian

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

greateradjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtər/

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

happenverbUS /ˈhæpən/

come to pass

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

harmnounUS /hɑːrm/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

knockverbUS /nɑːk/

deliver a sharp blow or push

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

lockedverbUS /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

naturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

regretverbUS /rəˈɡret/

feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

resolvedadjectiveUS /riˈzɑːlvd/

determined

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

From this reading Be assured that no power or spirit can harm you.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to knock at the door of his heart, and resolved never to let his courage fail, no matter what might happen.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading There is only one demon in the world whose power is greater than mine, and that is Fear himself.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Boy," said he, "let nothing that you hear or see make you afraid.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Be brave, keep the doors of your heart locked against Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have cause to regret your coming."

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.

What does chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Firelight Fairy Book?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Firelight Fairy Book

Common questions about reading The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Firelight Fairy Book?

Yes. All 2073 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19207 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Firelight Fairy Book is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #19207, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Firelight Fairy Book take to read?

About 172 minutes of reading across 415 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Firelight Fairy Book section by section

How to work through The Firelight Fairy Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Firelight Fairy Book to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Firelight Fairy Book

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Firelight Fairy Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Spelling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Firelight Fairy Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Didn't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Firelight Fairy Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Center
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Firelight Fairy Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Centre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Firelight Fairy Book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.