Chapter 4 of Strange Stories is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Strange Stories is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you." She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do. I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly. If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?" "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
Chapter 4 of Strange Stories is here in full — 414 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.
hold firmly
From this reading “I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.”
stricken with horror
From this reading “She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.”
by chance
From this reading “"I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.”
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading “"I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.”
with speed
From this reading “I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.”
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading “"I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"”
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.
flee; take to one's heels; cut and run
In this reading “If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"”
In this reading “She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.”
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 She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
anew
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
hold firmly
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
stricken with horror
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
uncertain how to act or proceed
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
by chance
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "I might possibly," Chung answered, "but not probably.
with speed
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
carry out
From this reading I can't grasp it and take it all in so quickly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She stood a minute irresolute, and then she began again: "Mr. Chung, I am too horrified to know what I ought to do.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I am glad you did," said Effie; "it will relieve you."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you had money of your own, would you be able to run away and live somehow?"
Chapter 4 of Strange Stories by Grant Allen holds 414 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 414 sentences of Strange Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Strange Stories by Grant Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 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 Strange Stories by Grant Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5337 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38575 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38575, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 444 minutes of reading across 1068 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strange Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of 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 Strange Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
