a lift with its own seat
Jeffrey Archer's "Not a Penny More and Not a Penny Less":
The Royal Suite is on the first floor at Claridge's and can be reached by an elegant sweeping staircase from the ground floor, or by a commodious lift with its own seat.
question:
what is a sweeping staircase,and what is a lift with its own seat
thank you for your help and your time

Question

a lift with its own seat
Jeffrey Archer's "Not a Penny More and Not a Penny Less":
The Royal Suite is on the first floor at Claridge's and can be reached by an elegant sweeping staircase from the ground floor, or by a commodious lift with its own seat. 
question:
what is a sweeping staircase,and what is a lift with its own seat
thank you for your help and your time

Answer

A "sweeping" staircase is one that is curved rather than straight.

Commodious means large, spacious, convenient, so this lift is so commodious that it has a seat in it to sit  down on while you ride the lift.

Incidentally, in England, the first floor is the floor above the street or ground level, while in the USA the first floor is the same as the ground level (generally speaking).

Answer

A sweeping staircase sounds like it could be a very large, fancy staircase.   It's probably wide enough for 4 or 5 people to walk down at once.

"A lift" is another word for an elevator.  So "a lift with a seat" is an elevator with a seat, a bench or chair, someplace to sit while you go up and down in the elevator.

Answers · 2

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!