Chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So he stood on the front porch of his home and said: "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!" He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form. He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo! Caw-oo!"
Chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 18/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90
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.
inflected form of “flap” — move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
From this reading “He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.”
diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading “"I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"”
inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly
From this reading “He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!”
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 "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
inflected form of “flap” — move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
From this reading He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
where you live at a particular time
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly
From this reading He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!
precisely, exactly
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "Caw-oo!
Chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 1 holds 186 sentences of The Magic of Oz, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Magic of Oz by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2104 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #419 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #419, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 175 minutes of reading across 421 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic of Oz section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Magic of Oz 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 of Oz, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
