Chapter 3 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Stop! Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor. The procession went on. Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber. It was empty.
Chapter 3 of The Firelight Fairy Book is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.”
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.”
-ing form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.”
command against
From this reading “Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.”
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading “The procession went on.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.”
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading “Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading It was empty.
-ing form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
command against
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was empty.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The procession went on.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading The procession went on.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Stop!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was empty.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The procession went on.
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly; "I forbid--" An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to the magician's chamber.
Chapter 3 of The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 3 holds 421 sentences of The Firelight Fairy Book, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Firelight Fairy Book by Henry Beston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 3 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.
