Chapter 4 of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 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 Makers and the Bramble Bush Man is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.” “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man. He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!” “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried. “You really know him?”
Chapter 4 of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
From this reading ““You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.”
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading ““You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading ““You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.”
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading ““The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.””
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading ““The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.””
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!””
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading ““The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.””
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!””
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 Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.””
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 “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
From this reading “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
divisible by two
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You really know him?”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
by chance
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “You really know him?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
in a sorrowful manner
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
precisely as stated
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “The Headless Man fits me very well,” the stranger said sorrowfully, “but perhaps even a headless man could do something.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He lives in a house with looking-glass walls----” “He does indeed!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You could if you knew the Bramble Bush Man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll help us find him!” the children cried.
Chapter 4 of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man by Margaret Sutton holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 445 sentences of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man by Margaret Sutton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Makers and the Bramble Bush Man by Margaret Sutton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2203 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58629, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 183 minutes of reading across 441 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Magic Makers and the Bramble Bush Man 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 Makers and the Bramble Bush Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
