Chapter 8 of A Prefect's Uncle is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Prefect's Uncle is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lorimer saw. He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation. When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning. It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup. 'My aunt!' he said.
Chapter 8 of A Prefect's Uncle is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
past form of “condense” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading “When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.”
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading “It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.”
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading “He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.”
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
From this reading “He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.”
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading “It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.”
below the required standards for a purpose
From this reading “He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.”
not having makeup on
From this reading “He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.”
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 grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading 'My aunt!' he said.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
of short duration or distance
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
past form of “condense” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lorimer saw.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'My aunt!' he said.
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
an adult castrated bull of the genus Bos; especially Bos taurus
From this reading It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.
past form of “render” — cause to become
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'My aunt!' he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading Lorimer saw.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
express in speech
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was the conversational parallel to the ox in the tea-cup.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
below the required standards for a purpose
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
not having makeup on
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
at the time that
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading He grasped the whole unpainted beauty of the situation in a flash, and for some moments it rendered him totally unfit for intellectual conversation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he did speak his observation was brief, but it teemed with condensed meaning.
Chapter 8 of A Prefect's Uncle by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 420 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 8 holds 420 sentences of A Prefect's Uncle, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Prefect's Uncle by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 8 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 Prefect's Uncle by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3360 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 280 minutes of reading across 672 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Prefect's Uncle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Prefect's Uncle 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 Prefect's Uncle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
