Chapter 17 of Mike is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Mike is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed. To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence. As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds. Then Mr. Wain spoke. “You have been out, James?”
Chapter 17 of Mike is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
the act of retaining something
From this reading “To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading ““You have been out, James?””
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading “As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.”
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading “MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.”
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.”
English writer (1925-1994)
From this reading “Then Mr. Wain spoke.”
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 MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You have been out, James?”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You have been out, James?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
the act of retaining something
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “You have been out, James?”
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Then Mr. Wain spoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “You have been out, James?”
by chance
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading MARCHING ORDERS A silence followed.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Then Mr. Wain spoke.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading As a matter of fact it lasted for perhaps ten seconds.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Mr. Wain spoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Mike, lying in bed, holding his breath, it seemed a long silence.
English writer (1925-1994)
From this reading Then Mr. Wain spoke.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have been out, James?”
Chapter 17 of Mike by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 17 holds 262 sentences of Mike, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Mike by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 17 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 Mike by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8822 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7423 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7423, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1765 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mike section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Mike 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 Mike, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
