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.
The Lonesome Duck 16. The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17. A Remarkable Journey 18. The Magic of the Wizard 19. Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
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 4/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.”
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading “Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.”
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading “Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.”
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading “The Lonesome Duck 16.”
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading “The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.”
being the only one; single and isolated from others
From this reading “The Lonesome Duck 16.”
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading “The Magic of the Wizard 19.”
someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
From this reading “The Magic of the Wizard 19.”
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 The Lonesome Duck 16.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Remarkable Journey 18.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Magic of the Wizard 19.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Remarkable Journey 18.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dorothy and the Bumble Bees 20.
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading The Lonesome Duck 16.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag 17.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading A Remarkable Journey 18.
being the only one; single and isolated from others
From this reading The Lonesome Duck 16.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading The Magic of the Wizard 19.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Magic of the Wizard 19.
unusual or striking
From this reading A Remarkable Journey 18.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Lonesome Duck 16.
someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
From this reading The Magic of the Wizard 19.
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.
