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Buttered Side Down: Stories
Buttered Side Down: Stories

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Buttered Side Down: Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.
"I brush it a hundred strokes every night.
Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.
The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.
It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Buttered Side Down: Stories

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.
Line 2
"I brush it a hundred strokes every night.
Line 3
Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.
Line 4
The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.
Line 5
It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

All words in this reading · 54

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

air

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

asleep

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

beat

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

beautiful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

being

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

brush

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

busy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

buttons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

call

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

connect

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

curls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

every

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

fall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

Gertrude

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

groomed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

have

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

hooks-and-eyes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

hundred

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

It

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

keeps

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

manager

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

on

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

or

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

ought

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

romping

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

sew

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

so

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

society

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

Sometimes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

stand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

strokes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I brush it a hundred strokes every night.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

time

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

underclothes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

wearily

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It ought to," said Gertrude, wearily.

well

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

what

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sometimes I'm so beat that I fall asleep with my brush in the air.

won't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The manager won't stand for any romping curls or hooks-and-eyes that don't connect.

writers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It keeps me so busy being beautiful, and what the society writers call 'well groomed,' that I don't have time to sew the buttons on my underclothes."

Chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories by Edna Ferber holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories contain?

Chapter 2 holds 218 sentences of Buttered Side Down: Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Buttered Side Down: Stories?

Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 44 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

Questions about reading Buttered Side Down: Stories

Common questions about reading Buttered Side Down: Stories by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Buttered Side Down: Stories?

Yes. All 3117 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #352 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Buttered Side Down: Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #352, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Buttered Side Down: Stories take to read?

About 259 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Buttered Side Down: Stories section by section

How to work through Buttered Side Down: Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Buttered Side Down: Stories to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Buttered Side Down: Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in Buttered Side Down: Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buttered Side Down: Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buttered Side Down: Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lived
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buttered Side Down: Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Happily
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buttered Side Down: Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.