Chapter 4 of Madam How and Lady Why is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Madam How and Lady Why is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos? Of what use can they be? They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know. But of one of their uses I can tell you. They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
Chapter 4 of Madam How and Lady Why is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.”
many and different
From this reading “They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.”
a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks
From this reading “They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.”
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading “They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?”
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading “They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.”
plural of “volcano” — a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
From this reading “Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Of what use can they be?
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But of one of their uses I can tell you.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Of what use can they be?
a young person of either sex
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
many and different
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
at any time
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But of one of their uses I can tell you.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
engage in
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of what use can they be?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But of one of their uses I can tell you.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
express in words
From this reading But of one of their uses I can tell you.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But of one of their uses I can tell you.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of what use can they be?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
the act of using
From this reading Of what use can they be?
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
plural of “volcano” — a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Of what use can they be?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
but in spite of that
From this reading They are of use enough, my child; and of many more uses, doubt not, than we know as yet, or ever shall know.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why, you ask, are there such terrible things as volcanos?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They make, or help to make, divers and sundry curious things, from gunpowder to your body and mine.
Chapter 4 of Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 133 sentences of Madam How and Lady Why, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1697, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 609 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Madam How and Lady Why section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Madam How and Lady Why 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 Madam How and Lady Why, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
