Chapter 14 of A Gentleman of Leisure is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of A Gentleman of Leisure is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Spike’s coming on!” he said. He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room. The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out. “Jimmy!” she cried. Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
Chapter 14 of A Gentleman of Leisure is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 ghostly appearing figure
From this reading “Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.”
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading “He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.”
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.”
jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women)
From this reading “He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.”
preceding and preparing for something
From this reading “He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.”
make a dry crackling sound
From this reading “He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.”
In this reading “Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.”
In this reading “Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.”
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 He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
on or to one side
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Spike’s coming on!” he said.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Jimmy!” she cried.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely)
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Spike’s coming on!” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “Jimmy!” she cried.
possessive form of “jimmy” — a short crowbar
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
popular aquarium fish
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women)
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Spike’s coming on!” he said.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
above and across; more than
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading The curtain was plucked aside and Molly came out.
preceding and preparing for something
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
make a dry crackling sound
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Spike’s coming on!” he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Jimmy!” she cried.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Spike’s coming on!” he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Jimmy’s nerves were always in pretty good order, but at the sight of this apparition he certainly jumped.
at the time that
From this reading He was dangling the necklace over the box, preparatory to dropping it in, when there was a quick rustle at the other side of the room.
Chapter 14 of A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 14 holds 388 sentences of A Gentleman of Leisure, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6471 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65172 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65172, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 539 minutes of reading across 1295 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Gentleman of Leisure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A Gentleman of Leisure 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 A Gentleman of Leisure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
