Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1920, and is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1920, and is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn. "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph. "He was catchin' butterflies! That ain't murder, is it?" "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1920, and is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.”
plural of “butterfly” — diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
From this reading “She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.”
plural of “catch” — a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading “"Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “"Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “That ain't murder, is it?"”
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading “She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.”
United States abstract painter influenced by oriental calligraphy (1890-1976)
From this reading “"This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “"This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.”
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 "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That ain't murder, is it?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
plural of “butterfly” — diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
plural of “catch” — a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He was catchin' butterflies!
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He was catchin' butterflies!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That ain't murder, is it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading That ain't murder, is it?"
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That ain't murder, is it?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
United States abstract painter influenced by oriental calligraphy (1890-1976)
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph.
Chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1920, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 12 holds 486 sentences of The best short stories of 1920, and, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The best short stories of 1920, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 12 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 best short stories of 1920, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 19297 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22091 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22091, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3860 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1920, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The best short stories of 1920, and 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 best short stories of 1920, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
