Chapter 16 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.” At that Waterhouse became speechless. He jumped to his feet. “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath. “You must go home.
Chapter 16 of 30 Strange Stories is here in full — 398 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.
power to direct or determine
From this reading ““Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.”
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading ““Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.””
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “He jumped to his feet.”
United States artist famous for painting with a drip technique; a leader of abstract expressionism in America (1912-1956)
From this reading ““Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.””
tangled in knots or snarls
From this reading ““Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.””
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading “At that Waterhouse became speechless.”
make steady
From this reading ““Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.””
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading ““Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.”
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.
return home
In this reading ““You must go home.”
In this reading ““Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.””
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 “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
later than; following
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At that Waterhouse became speechless.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading At that Waterhouse became speechless.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
power to direct or determine
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He jumped to his feet.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You must go home.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jumped to his feet.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He jumped to his feet.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “You must go home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He jumped to his feet.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must go home.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
United States artist famous for painting with a drip technique; a leader of abstract expressionism in America (1912-1956)
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
tangled in knots or snarls
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading At that Waterhouse became speechless.
make steady
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “Look here, Pollock,” he said, after a struggle to control his breath.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He jumped to his feet.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Steady on, now,” snarled Pollock, in the tone that always exasperated Waterhouse; “steady on.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You must go home.
Chapter 16 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 398 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 16 holds 398 sentences of 30 Strange Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of 30 Strange Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 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 16 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.
