Chapter 9 of Broken Butterflies is here in full — 341 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Broken Butterflies is here in full — 341 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a dull season for news. From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down." A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters. Anyway, nothing was happening. His idleness irked him.
Chapter 9 of Broken Butterflies is here in full — 341 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/68 · 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.
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading “From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."”
plural of “conference” — a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
producing no result or effect
From this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
having no employment
From this reading “His idleness irked him.”
past form of “irk” — irritate or vex
From this reading “His idleness irked him.”
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
plural of “reparation” — compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury
From this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.”
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 It was a dull season for news.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading Anyway, nothing was happening.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
plural of “conference” — a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
a native or inhabitant of Europe
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
any material that fills a space or container
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
producing no result or effect
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
an event that happens
From this reading Anyway, nothing was happening.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His idleness irked him.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
where you live at a particular time
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
having no employment
From this reading His idleness irked him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
past form of “irk” — irritate or vex
From this reading His idleness irked him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
the act of departing
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
information about recent and important events
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Anyway, nothing was happening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
plural of “reparation” — compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From San Francisco they had cabled him to "hold down."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a dull season for news.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A nation-wide strike in America and one of these futile European reparations conferences were filling the papers at home, leaving scant space for Oriental matters.
Chapter 9 of Broken Butterflies by Henry W. (Henry Walsworth) Kinney holds 341 sentences, grouped into 69 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 9 holds 341 sentences of Broken Butterflies, unabridged, divided into 69 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Broken Butterflies by Henry W. (Henry Walsworth) Kinney exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 341 sentences, grouped into 69 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 69 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 69 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 9 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 Broken Butterflies by Henry W. (Henry Walsworth) Kinney on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5948 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63625 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63625, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 495 minutes of reading across 1190 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Broken Butterflies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Broken Butterflies 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 Broken Butterflies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
