Chapter 1 of The Gold Bat is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Gold Bat is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't be an idiot, man. I bagged it first." "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month." "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you." "Anybody seen that sponge?"
Chapter 1 of The Gold Bat is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
inflected form of “bag” — capture or kill, as in hunting
From this reading “I bagged it first."”
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading “"When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."”
a boy or man
From this reading “"My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."”
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “"When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."”
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “"When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"Don't be an idiot, man.”
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
From this reading “"When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."”
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading “"Anybody seen that sponge?"”
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 "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Don't be an idiot, man.
any person at all
From this reading "Anybody seen that sponge?"
inflected form of “bag” — capture or kill, as in hunting
From this reading I bagged it first."
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Don't be an idiot, man.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
a boy or man
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't be an idiot, man.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I bagged it first."
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I bagged it first."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "Don't be an idiot, man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I bagged it first."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Don't be an idiot, man.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Anybody seen that sponge?"
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading "Anybody seen that sponge?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month."
at the time that
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "When you fellows have _quite_ finished rotting about in front of that bath don't let _me_ detain you."
Chapter 1 of The Gold Bat by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The Gold Bat, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Gold Bat by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 The Gold Bat by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6879 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6879, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 689 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gold Bat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Gold Bat 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 The Gold Bat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
