Chapter 9 of The hellflower is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The hellflower is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said. "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings. That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn. Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded." "Now what?"
Chapter 9 of The hellflower is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."”
-ing form of “brake” — stop travelling by applying a brake
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading “That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.”
relating to or used in chemistry
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
informal abbreviation of “gentleman”
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
plural of “landing” — an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
past form of “pilot” — operate an airplane
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
plural of “rocket” — any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading “"Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.”
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 prolonged period of time
In this reading “That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.”
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 "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
in the past
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
for the reason that
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
-ing form of “brake” — stop travelling by applying a brake
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
relating to or used in chemistry
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
informal abbreviation of “gentleman”
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
plural of “landing” — an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now what?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
on one occasion
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
past form of “pilot” — operate an airplane
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
plural of “rocket” — any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
express in words
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anyway, it wasn't expected, because we succeeded."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading That was a heck of a long time ago, before we had power to burn.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now what?"
which person or people
From this reading "Seems as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical rockets that used braking ellipses for landings.
Chapter 9 of The hellflower by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The hellflower, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The hellflower by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 The hellflower by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The hellflower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The hellflower 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 hellflower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
