A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street. Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way. The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds. It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly. Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.”
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.”
difficult and requiring careful handling
From this reading “It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.”
Every word is available to listen to. 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 It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It might make men listen, but they could hardly locate it before the motor caught and ran quietly.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The grinding of the starter, though, lasted only for seconds.
difficult and requiring careful handling
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Also, the trailer-truck was still in motion and making its own noise.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a ticklish job getting the car out of the garage and into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Lockley was afraid that starting the motor would make a noise which in the silence of the town's absolute abandonment could be heard for a long way.
