Chapter 30 of The Man of Iron is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of The Man of Iron is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The old man tottered to his feet. He was ashen in hue, and trembling. His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain. "M. le Comte ... I have suffered too much....
Chapter 30 of The Man of Iron is here in full — 398 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.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading “He was ashen in hue, and trembling.”
in a breathless manner
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength
From this reading “He was ashen in hue, and trembling.”
a sudden sharp feeling
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man tottered to his feet.”
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 His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
in a breathless manner
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
French philosopher remembered as the founder of positivism; he also established sociology as a systematic field of study
From this reading "M. le Comte ...
opinion or judgment
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have suffered too much....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have suffered too much....
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading "M. le Comte ...
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading "M. le Comte ...
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I have suffered too much....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
above and across; more than
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
a sudden sharp feeling
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
compacted by ironing
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading I have suffered too much....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His blue lips hung breathlessly apart, his eyes had a lack-luster stare behind their gold-rimmed glasses; he pressed a hand over his left breast as though to repress a pang of pain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I have suffered too much....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man tottered to his feet.
a shaky motion
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was ashen in hue, and trembling.
Chapter 30 of The Man of Iron by Richard Dehan holds 398 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 30 holds 398 sentences of The Man of Iron, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of The Man of Iron by Richard Dehan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 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 30 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 Man of Iron by Richard Dehan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man of Iron section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Man of Iron 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 Man of Iron, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
