Chapter 4 of The magic casket is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The magic casket is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Caution your grandmother! You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense. I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed. I can prove it, easily.” The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
Chapter 4 of The magic casket is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading “The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.”
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
From this reading “The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.”
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading “I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.”
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading ““Caution your grandmother!”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““Caution your grandmother!”
a wrapped container
From this reading “You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.”
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.
In this reading “The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.”
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 You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can prove it, easily.”
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading “Caution your grandmother!
bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading I can prove it, easily.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Caution your grandmother!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I can prove it, easily.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
a wrapped container
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading I can prove it, easily.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
at the time that
From this reading I was in Birmingham when the murder was committed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The superintendent was somewhat taken aback, for the accused spoke with a confidence that carried conviction.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are talking a parcel of dam’ nonsense.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Caution your grandmother!
Chapter 4 of The magic casket by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 4 holds 428 sentences of The magic casket, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The magic casket by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 4 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 magic casket by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman 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 The magic casket section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The magic casket 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 magic casket, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
