Chapter 2 of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You will--at the proper time." "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?" "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it. There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out. The window was too high."
Chapter 2 of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “"He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “"What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"”
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “"You will--at the proper time."”
plural of “rest” — something left after other parts have been taken away
From this reading “"He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.”
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading “There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.”
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading “"He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.”
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 There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
for the reason that
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The window was too high."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
plural of “rest” — something left after other parts have been taken away
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
in or at that place or location
From this reading There couldn't have been a snake in that room because it couldn't have gotten out.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The window was too high."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The window was too high."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The window was too high."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "He starts out with an impossible explanation, and rests his whole case on it.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "What makes you so certain that Mr. Oakes is wrong?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will--at the proper time."
Chapter 2 of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 2 holds 437 sentences of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 2 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 Death at the Excelsior, and other stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3046 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8176 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8176, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 610 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Death at the Excelsior, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Death at the Excelsior, and other stories 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 Death at the Excelsior, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
