Chapter 8 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone. Findlay laughed almost naturally. “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.” “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing. “The _bulla_ of a whale.
Chapter 8 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading “The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.”
(pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading “The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.”
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading ““Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.”
three times
From this reading “The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.”
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading ““Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.”
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading ““You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.””
possessive form of “whale” — a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
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 might be expected
In this reading ““Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.”
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 The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Findlay laughed almost naturally.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
(pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid
From this reading “The _bulla_ of a whale.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Findlay laughed almost naturally.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Findlay laughed almost naturally.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
as might be expected
From this reading Findlay laughed almost naturally.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
a special situation
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
three times
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading “Of course,” said Temple, his appearance of interest vanishing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The thing was about thrice the size of a man’s hand, like a rough watch-pocket of thick bone.
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “The _bulla_ of a whale.
possessive form of “whale” — a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have a bad memory—It’s a whale’s ear-bone.”
Chapter 8 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 8 holds 409 sentences of 30 Strange Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 8 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.
