Chapter 4 of The riddle of the rangeland is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The riddle of the rangeland is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What’re you going to do with me?” Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips. The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy. “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed. Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
Chapter 4 of The riddle of the rangeland is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading “The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.”
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading ““You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.”
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.”
United States inventor who manufactured the first elevator with a safety device (1811-1861)
From this reading “Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.”
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading ““You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.”
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading “The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.”
a just detectable amount
From this reading “Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.”
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.
In this reading ““You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.”
In this reading “Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.”
In this reading “Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.”
In this reading “Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.”
In this reading “Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.”
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 Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
the act of departing
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
in motion
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
United States inventor who manufactured the first elevator with a safety device (1811-1861)
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “You better stay here with Otis, Seth,” he directed.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
a just detectable amount
From this reading Otis inquired, the trace of a smile playing about his lips.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The Sheriff, puzzled, turned to his deputy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
in or at the place that
From this reading Then he glanced at the spot across the stream where the moving figure had disappeared in the trees.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What’re you going to do with me?”
Chapter 4 of The riddle of the rangeland by Forbes Parkhill holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 110 sentences of The riddle of the rangeland, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The riddle of the rangeland by Forbes Parkhill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 The riddle of the rangeland by Forbes Parkhill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1531 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 127 minutes of reading across 307 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The riddle of the rangeland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The riddle of the rangeland 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 The riddle of the rangeland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
