Chapter 4 of Wandl the Invader is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Wandl the Invader is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"This way," I murmured. We plunged into a black gash. There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby. The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical. It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
Chapter 4 of Wandl the Invader is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading “The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.”
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading “The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.”
cut open
From this reading “We plunged into a black gash.”
a humming noise
From this reading “The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.”
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.”
close at hand
From this reading “There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.”
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading “There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.”
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading “It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.”
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 We plunged into a black gash.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading We plunged into a black gash.
a disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
at any time
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
cut open
From this reading We plunged into a black gash.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
a humming noise
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "This way," I murmured.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
to an inexpressible degree
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading We plunged into a black gash.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "This way," I murmured.
close at hand
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading We plunged into a black gash.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This way," I murmured.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading The commotion was louder, and under it now we heard a vague humming: something electrical.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a glow of light, a glassite pane in a house wall nearby.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "This way," I murmured.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We plunged into a black gash.
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading It was an indescribably weird sound, like nothing I had ever heard before.
Chapter 4 of Wandl the Invader by Ray Cummings holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 4 holds 417 sentences of Wandl the Invader, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Wandl the Invader by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Wandl the Invader by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20859 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20859, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 911 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wandl the Invader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Wandl the Invader 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 Wandl the Invader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
