Chapter 7 of Merry's Book of Puzzles is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Merry's Book of Puzzles is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
73. CHARADE. A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say. DUTCH PUZZLE. 74.
Chapter 7 of Merry's Book of Puzzles is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
quick and energetic
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
a word acted out in an episode of the game of charades
From this reading “CHARADE.”
in a sincere and heartfelt manner
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
plural of “drive” — the act of applying force to propel something
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading “DUTCH PUZZLE.”
possessive form of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
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.
statement of charges for staying in a hotel
In this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
In this reading “A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 73.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 74.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
quick and energetic
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
a word acted out in an episode of the game of charades
From this reading CHARADE.
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
in a sincere and heartfelt manner
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
plural of “drive” — the act of applying force to propel something
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading DUTCH PUZZLE.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
a function word that combines with a noun or pronoun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase that can have an adverbial or adjectival relation to some other word
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading DUTCH PUZZLE.
express in words
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
possessive form of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading A preposition my first; My second's a number; My third a brisk motion That drives away slumber; My whole is a service For which dearly we pay; At least, 'tis charged so In hotel bills they say.
Chapter 7 of Merry's Book of Puzzles by J. N. (John Newton) Stearns holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 7 holds 387 sentences of Merry's Book of Puzzles, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Merry's Book of Puzzles by J. N. (John Newton) Stearns exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 7 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 Merry's Book of Puzzles by J. N. (John Newton) Stearns on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4635 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53847 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53847, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 386 minutes of reading across 927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merry's Book of Puzzles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Merry's Book of 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 Merry's Book of Puzzles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
