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Half a Hero: A Novel
Half a Hero: A Novel

Chapter XXVII

Cover illustration for Half a Hero: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
STEALING A MARCH.
Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.
She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.
The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.
Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Half a Hero: A Novel

Chapter XXVII

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
STEALING A MARCH.
Line 2
Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.
Line 3
She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.
Line 4
The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.
Line 5
Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Impulse noun US /ˈɪmpʌls/

a sudden strong desire to act

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Sudden noun US /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.”

All words in this reading · 68

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading STEALING A MARCH.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

Alicia

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

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

always

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

avoided

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

butterfly

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

came

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

catching

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

caught

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

chasing

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

day

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

Derosne

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

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

desire

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

fantastic

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

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

flew

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

floated

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

Government

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

head

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

House

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpʌls/

a sudden strong desire to act

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

just

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

knew

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

longed

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

MARCH

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

From this reading STEALING A MARCH.

Medland

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

near

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

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

net

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

night

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

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

office

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.

receive

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

saw

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

seen

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

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

sleep's

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

some

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

spirit

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

STEALING

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

From this reading STEALING A MARCH.

strange

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

suddennounUS /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Alicia Derosne had a fantastic dream that night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

Then

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading She saw Medland again chasing a butterfly, as she had seen him on the day he came to Government House to receive his office.

transformations

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

From this reading Then, by one of sleep's strange transformations, she seemed to be herself in spirit in the butterfly, and she knew that it flew so near because desire brought it, that it longed to be caught, and yet, at the last, by some sudden impulse, avoided his net.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading The butterfly floated always just over his head, and he always came near to catching it, yet never caught it.