Chapter 4 of Susan is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Susan is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked. "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One. "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it. Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer." "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
Chapter 4 of Susan is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading “Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."”
comparative of “cheap” — relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading “Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."”
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “"That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.”
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “"That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.”
in a gay manner
From this reading “"That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.”
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “"Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.”
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading “"I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.”
possessive form of “wine” — fermented juice (of grapes especially)
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 "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
comparative of “cheap” — relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
past form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
every person
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
in a gay manner
From this reading "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I know the ropes, so don’t you forget it.
express in words
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Don’t go cross-examining _me_," roared the Grey One.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
possessive form of “wine” — fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading Everybody knows that, in France, wine’s cheaper than beer."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps you’ll tell us why you ordered a cigar and a whole bottle of _Veuve Clicquot_?" he asked.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "That’s it!" chuckled one of the young Englishmen gaily.
Chapter 4 of Susan by Ernest Oldmeadow holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of Susan, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Susan by Ernest Oldmeadow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Susan by Ernest Oldmeadow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4583 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48418 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48418, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Susan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Susan 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 Susan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
