Chapter 15 of Seven Keys to Baldpate is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Seven Keys to Baldpate is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TABLE TALK The seventh key! Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it. So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex. Did any one else? Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
Chapter 15 of Seven Keys to Baldpate is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
an area of ground used for some particular purpose (such as building or farming)
From this reading “Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.”
take (territory) as if by conquest
From this reading “So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.”
a Hebrew prophet in the Old Testament who opposed the worship of idols; he was persecuted for rebuking Ahab and Jezebel (king and queen of Israel); he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (circa 9th century BC)
From this reading “So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.”
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading “Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.”
possessive form of “max” — street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.”
possessive form of “mayor” — the head of a city government
From this reading “Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.”
coming next after the sixth and just before the eighth in position
From this reading “TABLE TALK The seventh key!”
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading “Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.”
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.
an area of ground used for some particular purpose (such as building or farming)
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
take (territory) as if by conquest
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Did any one else?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did any one else?
a Hebrew prophet in the Old Testament who opposed the worship of idols; he was persecuted for rebuking Ahab and Jezebel (king and queen of Israel); he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (circa 9th century BC)
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did any one else?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
made afraid
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading TABLE TALK The seventh key!
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
possessive form of “max” — street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
possessive form of “mayor” — the head of a city government
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
make reference to
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Did any one else?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
coming next after the sixth and just before the eighth in position
From this reading TABLE TALK The seventh key!
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading TABLE TALK The seventh key!
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading TABLE TALK The seventh key!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TABLE TALK The seventh key!
having intellectual depth
From this reading Magee looked at the broad acreage of the mayor's face, at the ancient lemon of Max's, at Bland's, frightened and thoughtful, at Hayden's, concerned but smiling.
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading Mr. Magee thrilled at the mention of it.
which person or people
From this reading So Elijah Quimby knew the identity and the mission of the man who hid in the annex.
Chapter 15 of Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 15 holds 224 sentences of Seven Keys to Baldpate, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 15 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 Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6027 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30836 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30836, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1206 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seven Keys to Baldpate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Seven Keys to Baldpate 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 Seven Keys to Baldpate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
