Chapter 7 of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel. The express was due at three. "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free. If you must go, you must go." "I've got to go!
Chapter 7 of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading “THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.”
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading “The express was due at three.”
give expression to
From this reading “The express was due at three.”
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading “"Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.”
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading “"Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.”
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading “THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.”
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading “THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The express was due at three.
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading The express was due at three.
give expression to
From this reading The express was due at three.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If you must go, you must go."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got to go!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got to go!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you must go, you must go."
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
and nothing more
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If you must go, you must go."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The express was due at three.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE BUTTERFLY MAN It was just one-thirty by the placid little clock on his mantel.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Very well," said I, forcing myself to face the inevitable without noise, "you are free.
Chapter 7 of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as by Marie Conway Oemler holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 7 holds 239 sentences of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as by Marie Conway Oemler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 7 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 Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as by Marie Conway Oemler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6709 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15843 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15843, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 559 minutes of reading across 1342 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as 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 Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
