The Time Machine
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is available here as the complete text, split into 382 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
An English inventor travels into the far future, discovering the delicate Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Time Machine
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 377 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #35, divided into 12 chapters and 382 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read The Time Machine in full?
The complete text of The Time Machine is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #35 and divided into 382 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #35, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 1907 sentences across 12 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is The Time Machine divided for reading?
The Time Machine is presented in 12 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Time Machine as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 382 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 12 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear The Time Machine read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Time Machine can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Time Machine can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading The Time Machine
Common questions about reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Time Machine?
Yes. All 1907 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Time Machine is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #35, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Time Machine take to read?
About 158 minutes of reading across 382 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Time Machine section by section
How to work through The Time Machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Time Machine to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Time Machine
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Time Machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Introduction
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Time Machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Machine
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Time Machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Traveller
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Time Machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Returns
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Time Machine; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.