Chapter 2 of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?" At length Horrocks released him. His manner changed again. "Nipping your arm off?" he said. "Sorry.
Chapter 2 of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories is here in full — 399 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.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “His manner changed again.”
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
capable of wounding
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading “At length Horrocks released him.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading “"I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"”
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.
anew
From this reading His manner changed again.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At length Horrocks released him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading His manner changed again.
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At length Horrocks released him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading At length Horrocks released him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading His manner changed again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
capable of wounding
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading At length Horrocks released him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
express in words
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Sorry.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I say," he said now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl in his voice, "why on earth are you nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Nipping your arm off?" he said.
Chapter 2 of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 399 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 2 holds 399 sentences of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 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 2 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 Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9761 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11870 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11870, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1953 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Country of the Blind, and Other 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 The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
