Chapter 1 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!" He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms. "Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!" He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
Chapter 1 of The History of Mr. Polly 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.
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading “He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.”
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading “Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"”
special importance or significance
From this reading “"Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"”
plural of “idiom” — a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
From this reading “He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.”
a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea
From this reading “He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.”
an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading “He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.”
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
From this reading “He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.”
breathing with a husky or whistling sound
From this reading “Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"”
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 "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
lacking funds
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
special importance or significance
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
an opening into or through something
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
plural of “idiom” — a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
a state of acute pain
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.
breathing with a husky or whistling sound
From this reading Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Hole!" said Mr. Polly, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!"
Chapter 1 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells 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 1 holds 414 sentences of The History of Mr. Polly, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells 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 1 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.
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Yes. All 4489 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 898 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The History of Mr. Polly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The History of Mr. Polly 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 History of Mr. Polly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
