Chapter 2 of Not George Washington is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Not George Washington is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel. And, in my opinion, most people could write one play. Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say. I wrote it. Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
Chapter 2 of Not George Washington is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.”
a misleading falsehood
From this reading “A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.”
an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)
From this reading “Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.”
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading “A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.”
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading “Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.”
a public toilet for men
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.”
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 A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
without stop or interruption
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
a misleading falsehood
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
every person
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I wrote it.
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 Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
a public toilet for men
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
used to form the superlative
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
participate in games or sport
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
express in words
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
not in physical motion
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A HARMLESS DECEPTION _(Miss Margaret Goodwin’s narrative continued)_ They say that everyone is capable of one novel.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
which person or people
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
produce a literary work
From this reading And, in my opinion, most people could write one play.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Whether I wrote mine in an inspiration of despair, I cannot say.
a late time of life
From this reading Three years had passed, and James was still haggling with those who buy men’s brains.
Chapter 2 of Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of Not George Washington, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4121 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7230 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7230, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Not George Washington section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Not George Washington 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 Not George Washington, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
