Chapter 2 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold? Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose). Why are some girls like old muskets? Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off. What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
Chapter 2 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?”
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.”
the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
From this reading “What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?”
plural of “no” — a negative
From this reading “Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).”
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).”
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading “Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.”
rebuking a person harshly
From this reading “What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?”
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading “Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
In this reading “Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.”
In this reading “Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.”
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 Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Why are some girls like old muskets?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
for the reason that
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
opinion or judgment
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Why are some girls like old muskets?
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why are some girls like old muskets?
plural of “no” — a negative
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Why are some girls like old muskets?
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
rebuking a person harshly
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Why are some girls like old muskets?
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
carry out
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Because sometimes the ayes (eyes) have it, and sometimes the noes (nose).
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
the act of using
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why is a vote in Congress like a bad cold?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading What kind of medicine does a man take for a scolding wife?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because they use a good deal of powder, but won’t go off.
Chapter 2 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles by Dean Rivers holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 2 holds 424 sentences of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles by Dean Rivers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 2 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 Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles by Dean Rivers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52598 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52598, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles 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 Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
