Chapter 1 of The Secret Places of the Heart is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Secret Places of the Heart is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What else could I expect?” Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him. “H’m!” “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic. The wonder is that you are ever anything else....
Chapter 1 of The Secret Places of the Heart is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading ““What else could I expect?””
showing a lack of attention or care
From this reading ““The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.”
with reluctance
From this reading ““The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.”
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading “Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.”
moving slowly
From this reading ““The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.”
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading ““The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading ““The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.”
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.
any thing at all
From this reading The wonder is that you are ever anything else....
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “What else could I expect?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What else could I expect?”
at any time
From this reading The wonder is that you are ever anything else....
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “What else could I expect?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “H’m!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “What else could I expect?”
showing a lack of attention or care
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
with reluctance
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
recurring again and again
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Richmond repeated, looking down on him.
moving slowly
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
disregarding your own advantages and welfare over those of others
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What else could I expect?”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “The wonder is not that you are sluggish, reluctantly unselfish, inattentive, spasmodic.
Chapter 1 of The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 215 sentences of The Secret Places of the Heart, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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.
Common questions about reading The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1734 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1734, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 385 minutes of reading across 925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Places of the Heart section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Secret Places of the Heart 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 Secret Places of the Heart, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
