Chapter 4 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker? One is a Bacchanalian and the other a tobacconalian. When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived? Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops). What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?
Chapter 4 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading “When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?”
plural of “crop” — the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading “Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).”
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading “What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?”
a person who drinks liquids
From this reading “What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?”
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading “When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?”
clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?”
a person who smokes tobacco
From this reading “What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?”
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.
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 What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
how long something has existed
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
used of riotously drunken merrymaking
From this reading One is a Bacchanalian and the other a tobacconalian.
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
for the reason that
From this reading Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?
plural of “crop” — the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
a person who drinks liquids
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
clarify by giving an example of
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading What is the difference between a cow and an old chair?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One is a Bacchanalian and the other a tobacconalian.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading One is a Bacchanalian and the other a tobacconalian.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
a person who smokes tobacco
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One is a Bacchanalian and the other a tobacconalian.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Because it was before Cecrops (sea crops).
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is the difference between a drinker and a smoker?
at the time that
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading When Homer called the sea barren, why did it illustrate the age in which he lived?
Chapter 4 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles by Dean Rivers holds 425 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 4 holds 425 sentences of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles by Dean Rivers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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 4 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.
