Chapter 1 of The Magic of Oz is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
"What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy. "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays. I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone. So I had to abdicate." "What does that mean?"
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 32/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 156–160
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.
give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
From this reading “So I had to abdicate."”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “"Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.”
drive or propel with the foot
From this reading “"What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.”
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “"Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “"Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.”
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 was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
From this reading So I had to abdicate."
Having no one else present.
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
a youthful male person
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does that mean?"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So I had to abdicate."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
drive or propel with the foot
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What does that mean?"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I had to abdicate."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What does that mean?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
(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 "Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was a pretty good King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
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.
