Chapter 12 of The Magic City is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Magic City is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy. 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood. 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.' And Lucy understood. 'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.
Chapter 12 of The Magic City is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.”
for a short time
From this reading “'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.”
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.”
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading “THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.”
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading “THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.”
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 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading 'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.
for a short time
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading 'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading THE END Philip tore back to the prison, to be met at the door by Lucy.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 'I couldn't help it,' he said; 'I did want to do something by myself.'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'And besides,' he said, 'I was coming back for you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'I hate you,' she said briefly, and Philip understood.
Chapter 12 of The Magic City by E. (Edith) Nesbit holds 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 12 holds 264 sentences of The Magic City, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Magic City by E. (Edith) Nesbit exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 12 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 City by E. (Edith) Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20606 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20606, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Magic City 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 City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
