Chapter 5 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stopped abruptly. He had been told rhetoric was his weakness. “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.” The pale-faced man nodded. His eyes shone.
Chapter 5 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “He stopped abruptly.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The pale-faced man nodded.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
using language effectively to please or persuade
From this reading “He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “His eyes shone.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “He stopped abruptly.”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.”
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.
In this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes shone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
having a pale face
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
using language effectively to please or persuade
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading His eyes shone.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
Chapter 5 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 5 holds 399 sentences of 30 Strange Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 5 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.
