Chapter 10 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly. "You got to shift." The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential. "You don't know who you're up against," he said. "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
Chapter 10 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 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.
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading “The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “"It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading “"It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.”
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “"You got to shift."”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.”
compelling immediate action
From this reading “The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.”
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “"It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.”
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 "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
entrusted with private information and the confidence of another
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You got to shift."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "S'pose I don't," said Mr. Polly.
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading "You got to shift."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You got to shift."
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
compelling immediate action
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The tone of Uncle Jim's voice became urgent and confidential.
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading "It's a kindness I'm doing to warn you.
which person or people
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You got to shift."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't know who you're up against," he said.
Chapter 10 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 10 holds 395 sentences of The History of Mr. Polly, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 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 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 10 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 History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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.
