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The Little Nugget
The Little Nugget

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Little Nugget is here in full — 679 sentences across 136 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Little Nugget
Context Illustration Reading 26/135 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At this moment Cynthia came in.
Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.
I had never seen her looking better.
She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.
The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Little Nugget

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Little Nugget is here in full — 679 sentences across 136 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 26/135 · 5 reading units · Lines 126–130

Line 1
At this moment Cynthia came in.
/æt ðɪs ˈmoʊmənt ˈsɪnθiə keɪm ɪn/
Line 2
Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.
Line 3
I had never seen her looking better.
/aɪ hæd ˈnevər siːn hɜːr ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈbetər/
Line 4
She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.
/ʃiː ɪz ə tɔːl ɡɜːrl huː ˈkæriz hərˈself mæɡˈnɪfəsəntli/
Line 5
The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.
/ðə sɪmˈplɪsəti ʌv hɜːr dres ɡeɪnd æn ˈædəd ˈdɪɡnəti frʌm kəmˈperəsən wɪð ðə ræŋk ˈɡlɪtər ʌv hɜːr ˈmʌðərz/

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.

carries noun US /ˈkæriz/

plural of “carry” — the act of carrying something

From this reading “She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.”

comparison noun US /kəmˈperəsən/

the act of examining resemblances

From this reading “The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.”

Cynthia noun US /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading “At this moment Cynthia came in.”

displeasure noun US /dɪˈspleʒər/

the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something

From this reading “Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.”

gained verb US /ɡeɪnd/

past form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading “The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.”

glitter noun US /ˈɡlɪtər/

the quality of shining with a bright reflected light

From this reading “The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.”

magnificently adverb US /mæɡˈnɪfəsəntli/

extremely well

From this reading “She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.”

simplicity noun US /sɪmˈplɪsəti/

the quality of being simple or uncompounded

From this reading “The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading I had never seen her looking better.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

carriesnounUS /ˈkæriz/

plural of “carry” — the act of carrying something

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

comparisonnounUS /kəmˈperəsən/

the act of examining resemblances

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

CynthianounUS /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

dignitynounUS /ˈdɪɡnəti/

the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

displeasurenounUS /dɪˈspleʒər/

the feeling of being displeased or annoyed or dissatisfied with someone or something

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

dressverbUS /dres/

put on clothes

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

frankadjectiveUS /fræŋk/

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

fuddledadjective

very drunk

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

gainedverbUS /ɡeɪnd/

past form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

glitternounUS /ˈɡlɪtər/

the quality of shining with a bright reflected light

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I had never seen her looking better.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading I had never seen her looking better.

magnificentlyadverbUS /mæɡˈnɪfəsəntli/

extremely well

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading I had never seen her looking better.

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

OutadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

ranknounUS /ræŋk/

a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I had never seen her looking better.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

simplicitynounUS /sɪmˈplɪsəti/

the quality of being simple or uncompounded

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

Tanky's

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

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Out of the corner of my eye I observed a look of fuddled displeasure come into Tanky's face at her frank pleasure at seeing me.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At this moment Cynthia came in.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She is a tall girl, who carries herself magnificently.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The simplicity of her dress gained an added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of her mother's.

Chapter 1 of The Little Nugget by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 679 sentences, grouped into 136 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 1 of The Little Nugget contain?

Chapter 1 holds 679 sentences of The Little Nugget, unabridged, divided into 136 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Little Nugget by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 679 sentences, grouped into 136 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 1 of The Little Nugget?

Work through the 136 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 136 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Little Nugget

Common questions about reading The Little Nugget by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Little Nugget?

Yes. All 5582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Little Nugget is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6683, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Little Nugget take to read?

About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Little Nugget section by section

How to work through The Little Nugget section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Little Nugget to begin.

  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 The Little Nugget

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Nugget, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Strongly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Nugget; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Opinion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Nugget; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twenty-one
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Nugget; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ought
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Nugget; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.