Chapter 4 of The War of the Worlds is here in full — 411 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 The War of the Worlds is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly. “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.” “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered. “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be. One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
Chapter 4 of The War of the Worlds is here in full — 411 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.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading ““But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.”
immune to attack; impregnable
From this reading ““They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.””
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.””
comparative of “mighty” — having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading ““And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.”
without mercy or pity
From this reading ““They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.””
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading ““And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.”
marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
From this reading ““And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.””
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 “One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.””
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.
in the past
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
immune to attack; impregnable
From this reading “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
comparative of “mighty” — having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
by chance
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
without mercy or pity
From this reading “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.”
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
From this reading “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “But how can we escape?” he asked, suddenly.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”
Chapter 4 of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells holds 411 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 411 sentences of The War of the Worlds, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 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.
