Chapter 14 of The World Set Free is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The World Set Free is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘He is dead,’ said Firmin. ‘He was shot.’ The ex-king reflected. ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said. ‘Where are the bombs?
Chapter 14 of The World Set Free is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
plural of “bomb” — an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “‘Where are the bombs?”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “The ex-king reflected.”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “‘He was shot.’”
a special situation
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
plural of “bomb” — an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading ‘He was shot.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
a special situation
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘He was shot.’
in or at the place that
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?
Chapter 14 of The World Set Free by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 14 holds 157 sentences of The World Set Free, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 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 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 14 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.
