Chapter 1 of Something New is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Something New is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A wand of death?" "A wand of death." The girl frowned reflectively. "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it. The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
Chapter 1 of Something New is here in full — 335 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 34/67 · 5 reading units · Lines 166–170
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 very dark black
From this reading “"Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “The girl frowned reflectively.”
plural of “message” — a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.”
third-person singular of “possess” — have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading “"Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.”
plural of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “"Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.”
a rod used by a magician or water diviner
From this reading “"A wand of death?"”
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 wand of death?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "A wand of death?"
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
a very dark black
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading The girl frowned reflectively.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
a young female
From this reading The girl frowned reflectively.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
plural of “message” — a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A wand of death?"
third-person singular of “possess” — have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
plural of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
in a reflective manner
From this reading The girl frowned reflectively.
concerned with religion or religious purposes
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
required or under orders
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl frowned reflectively.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The hero gets hold of it, and the priests dog him and send him threatening messages.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
a rod used by a magician or water diviner
From this reading "A wand of death?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, of course; it's the sacred ebony stick stolen from the Indian temple, which is supposed to bring death to whoever possesses it.
Chapter 1 of Something New by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 1 holds 335 sentences of Something New, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Something New by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 335 sentences, grouped into 67 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 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 67 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 1 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 Something New by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5603 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2042 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2042, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 466 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Something New section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Something New 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 Something New, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
