Chapter 8 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently. “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?” “You may certainly assume that.” I smiled at his smug assurance. “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
Chapter 8 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 66 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading ““May I assume that I have awakened your interest?””
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “I smiled at his smug assurance.”
aroused or activated
From this reading ““May I assume that I have awakened your interest?””
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading ““The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.”
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading ““The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.”
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading ““The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.”
continue talking
From this reading ““Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.”
marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
From this reading “I smiled at his smug assurance.”
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 ““The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.”
In this reading “I smiled at his smug assurance.”
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 “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading I smiled at his smug assurance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I smiled at his smug assurance.
aroused or activated
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “You may certainly assume that.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
someone who keeps a diary or journal
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I smiled at his smug assurance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
in the near future
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
continue talking
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading I smiled at his smug assurance.
marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
From this reading I smiled at his smug assurance.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Shall we now proceed to chapter two?” he asked presently.
a late time of life
From this reading “The next extract, then, from our Diarist is two years later, December, 1501, to be precise.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You may certainly assume that.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “May I assume that I have awakened your interest?”
Chapter 8 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey holds 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 8 holds 66 sentences of The Clock and the Key, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 66 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 8 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 Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4970 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 414 minutes of reading across 994 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Clock and the Key section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Clock and the Key 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 Clock and the Key, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
