Chapter 4 of Psmith in the City is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Psmith in the City is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark. The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up. 'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith. Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply. Psmith called a waiter.
Chapter 4 of Psmith in the City is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 worker who is hired to perform a job
From this reading “Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.”
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading “On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.”
in a graceful manner
From this reading “The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.”
reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading “Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.”
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading “'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.”
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading “The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “Psmith called a waiter.”
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 The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Psmith called a waiter.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
a worker who is hired to perform a job
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
in a graceful manner
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading 'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
not any; not one
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading 'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading 'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'The rain keeps off,' said Psmith.
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the fourth day Psmith made his first remark.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading Psmith called a waiter.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
at the time that
From this reading The manager was reading the evening paper in a corner, when Psmith sinking gracefully into a chair beside him, caused him to look up.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mr Bickersdyke looked as if he wished his employee would imitate the rain, but he made no reply.
Chapter 4 of Psmith in the City by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 402 sentences of Psmith in the City, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Psmith in the City by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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 Psmith in the City by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6753 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6753, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 341 minutes of reading across 819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Psmith in the City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Psmith in the City 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 Psmith in the City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
