Chapter 20 of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Wise Man stroked his beard. 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple. True love takes no account of looks.' 'No?' said Agravaine. 'You two are affinities.
Chapter 20 of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “True love takes no account of looks.'”
plural of “affinity” — (immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody
From this reading “'You two are affinities.”
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “The Wise Man stroked his beard.”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “True love takes no account of looks.'”
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.”
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading “The Wise Man stroked his beard.”
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading “True love takes no account of looks.'”
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “The Wise Man stroked his beard.”
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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
plural of “affinity” — (immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody
From this reading 'You two are affinities.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'No?' said Agravaine.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 'You two are affinities.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
not any; not one
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
a male human offspring
From this reading 'My son,' he said, 'the matter is simple.
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading True love takes no account of looks.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading 'You two are affinities.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading The Wise Man stroked his beard.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'You two are affinities.
Chapter 20 of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 20 holds 417 sentences of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 20 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 Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6768 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6768, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1820 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Upstairs and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Man Upstairs and Other Stories 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 Man Upstairs and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
