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Not George Washington
Not George Washington

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Not George Washington is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Not George Washington
Context Illustration Reading 1/53 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.
Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.
Far from it.
Costs a bit too much, that game.
You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Not George Washington

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Not George Washington is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/53 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.
Line 2
Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.
Line 3
Far from it.
/fɑːr frʌm ɪt/
Line 4
Costs a bit too much, that game.
/kɑːsts ə bɪt tuː mʌtʃ ðæt ɡeɪm/
Line 5
You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Costs noun US /kɑːsts/

pecuniary reimbursement to the winning party for the expenses of litigation

From this reading “Costs a bit too much, that game.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
detail noun US /dɪˈteɪl/

an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole

From this reading “A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gathering noun US /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading “A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ghostly adjective US /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading “A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monthly noun US /ˈmʌnθli/

a periodical that is published every month (or 12 issues per year)

From this reading “You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peach noun US /piːtʃ/

cultivated in temperate regions

From this reading “A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
quid noun US /kwɪd/

the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence

From this reading “You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sixty adjective US /ˈsɪksti/

being ten more than fifty

From this reading “You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 57

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading Costs a bit too much, that game.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Pending verification
carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CostsnounUS /kɑːsts/

pecuniary reimbursement to the winning party for the expenses of litigation

From this reading Costs a bit too much, that game.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
detailnounUS /dɪˈteɪl/

an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
DonnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Pending verification
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FaradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Far from it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Far from it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gamenounUS /ɡeɪm/

a contest with rules to determine a winner

From this reading Costs a bit too much, that game.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GATHERINGnounUS /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GHOSTLYadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
I've

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

Pending verification
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
knowsnounUS /noʊz/

plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monthlynounUS /ˈmʌnθli/

a periodical that is published every month (or 12 issues per year)

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Costs a bit too much, that game.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Norah

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Pending verification
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peachnounUS /piːtʃ/

cultivated in temperate regions

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Perkins

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Pending verification
quidnounUS /kwɪd/

the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora curated lexicon
simplyadverbUS /ˈsɪmpli/

and nothing more

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/

being ten more than fifty

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
that's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Pending verification
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
there's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Pending verification
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Costs a bit too much, that game.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
What's-his-name

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Not that I’ve been a Don What’s-his-name.

Pending verification
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading A GHOSTLY GATHERING Norah Perkins is a peach, and I don’t care who knows it; but, all the same, there’s no need to tell her every little detail of a man’s past life.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You simply can’t do it on sixty quid a year, paid monthly, and that’s all there is about it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 19 of Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

What does chapter 19 of Not George Washington contain?

Chapter 19 holds 269 sentences of Not George Washington, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

How do I study chapter 19 of Not George Washington?

Work through the 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 54 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.

Can chapter 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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.

Questions about reading Not George Washington

Common questions about reading Not George Washington by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Not George Washington?

Yes. All 4121 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7230 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Not George Washington is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #7230, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Not George Washington take to read?

About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Not George Washington section by section

How to work through Not George Washington section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Not George Washington

Words and structures a reader meets early in Not George Washington, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Those
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Not George Washington; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
August
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Not George Washington; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Realise
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Not George Washington; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Difficulty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Not George Washington; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.