Chapter 1 of The Two Magics is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Two Magics is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible. Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made. They are listed at the end of the text. Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. Bold text has been marked with =equals signs=.
Chapter 1 of The Two Magics is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading “Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.”
plural of “equal” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading “Bold text has been marked with =equals signs=.”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.”
on a list
From this reading “They are listed at the end of the text.”
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading “Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.”
bend or turn backward
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.”
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading “Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
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 “They are listed at the end of the text.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
fearless and daring
From this reading Bold text has been marked with =equals signs=.
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
plural of “equal” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading Bold text has been marked with =equals signs=.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
in a faithful manner
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
on a list
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
bend or turn backward
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Bold text has been marked with =equals signs=.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
From this reading Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
the words of something written
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are listed at the end of the text.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
Chapter 1 of The Two Magics by Henry James holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Two Magics, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Two Magics by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Two Magics by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5240 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42486 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42486, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1048 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Two Magics section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Two Magics 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 Two Magics, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
