Chapter 5 of Incredible Adventures is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Incredible Adventures is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words. ‘Where are the others? Have I been away? Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’ He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
Chapter 5 of Incredible Adventures is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
From this reading “He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.”
softly bright or radiant
From this reading “He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.”
cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
From this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.”
make a dull sound
From this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
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 “He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.”
In this reading “Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.”
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 He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘Where are the others?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Have I been away?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Have I been away?
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Have I been away?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Have I been away?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’
softly bright or radiant
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
and nothing more
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Where are the others?
cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
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 He stared about him, his face now a mere luminous disc in the thick darkness.
make a dull sound
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
in or at the place that
From this reading ‘Where are the others?
the words that are spoken
From this reading Only the pelt and thud of the rain sounded behind the quavering words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Hendricks--Mr. Hendricks--is that you----?’
Chapter 5 of Incredible Adventures by Algernon Blackwood holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Incredible Adventures, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Incredible Adventures by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Incredible Adventures by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43816 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43816, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 548 minutes of reading across 1317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Incredible Adventures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Incredible Adventures 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 Incredible Adventures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
