Chapter 4 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed. He must, for instance, take my name. You cannot expect everything without some return. And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him. He _must_ be sound.
Chapter 4 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 412 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.
consider or hold as true
From this reading “And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.”
plural of “burden” — an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading ““But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.”
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading ““But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “You cannot expect everything without some return.”
set forth authoritatively as obligatory
From this reading ““But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “He must, for instance, take my name.”
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “He _must_ be sound.”
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.
as an example
In this reading “He must, for instance, take my name.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.”
to come or go into
In this reading “And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.”
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.
consider or hold as true
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
plural of “burden” — an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
set forth authoritatively as obligatory
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
an occurrence of something
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He _must_ be sound.
carry out
From this reading He must, for instance, take my name.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And I must go into all the circumstances of his life before I can accept him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But there are conditions, of course, burdens to be imposed.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You cannot expect everything without some return.
Chapter 4 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 412 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 4 holds 412 sentences of 30 Strange Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 4 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 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 598 minutes of reading across 1436 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 30 Strange Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of 30 Strange Stories 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 30 Strange Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
