Chapter 3 of The War of the Worlds is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The War of the Worlds is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They seemed amazingly busy. I began to ask myself what they could be. Were they intelligent mechanisms? Such a thing I felt was impossible. Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
Chapter 3 of The War of the Worlds is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
in an amazing manner; to everyone's surprise
From this reading “They seemed amazingly busy.”
showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on
From this reading “Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?”
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading “Were they intelligent mechanisms?”
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading “Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?”
plural of “mechanism” — the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading “Were they intelligent mechanisms?”
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?”
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading “Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading “Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?”
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.
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 Such a thing I felt was impossible.
in an amazing manner; to everyone's surprise
From this reading They seemed amazingly busy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading They seemed amazingly busy.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Such a thing I felt was impossible.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Such a thing I felt was impossible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading Were they intelligent mechanisms?
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
plural of “mechanism” — the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading Were they intelligent mechanisms?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They seemed amazingly busy.
be seated
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a thing I felt was impossible.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They seemed amazingly busy.
a special situation
From this reading Such a thing I felt was impossible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such a thing I felt was impossible.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were they intelligent mechanisms?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I began to ask myself what they could be.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Or did a Martian sit within each, ruling, directing, using, much as a man’s brain sits and rules in his body?
Chapter 3 of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 3 holds 403 sentences of The War of the Worlds, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 3 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 War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells 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 War of the Worlds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The War of the Worlds 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 War of the Worlds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
