Chapter 4 of The World Set Free is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The World Set Free is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Holsten was silent. ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly. ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals. ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
Chapter 4 of The World Set Free is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.”
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading “‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?”
refuse to acknowledge
From this reading “‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.”
-ing form of “perceive” — to become aware of through the senses
From this reading “‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “Holsten was silent.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
refuse to acknowledge
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Holsten was silent.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
not any; not one
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
on one occasion
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
-ing form of “perceive” — to become aware of through the senses
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
in a compassionate manner
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
express in words
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Holsten was silent.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘No, he hasn’t,’ said Holsten, perceiving that for once in his life he must disregard infinitesimals.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Surely?’ said the judge, almost pityingly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Holsten was silent.
at the time that
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Ah!’ said the judge, ‘now why couldn’t you say that when counsel put the question?
Chapter 4 of The World Set Free by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 4 holds 155 sentences of The World Set Free, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The World Set Free by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 4 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 World Set Free by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3157 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1059 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1059, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 263 minutes of reading across 632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The World Set Free section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The World Set Free 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 World Set Free, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
