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.
I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how." "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad! I'm glad I've met you; shake hands." The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away. 3.
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 29/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 141–145
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 “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.”
a spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus
From this reading “"Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!”
a boy or man
From this reading “"Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!”
any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading “The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.”
a short high-pitched noise
From this reading “The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
made afraid
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
a spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
a boy or man
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
a short high-pitched noise
From this reading The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad!
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading I've always wanted to be wicked, but I didn't know how."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
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.
