Chapter 17 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room. He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee. Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair. And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours. As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
Chapter 17 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading “Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.”
plural of “background” — a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading “And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.”
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.”
past form of “consume” — eat up completely, as with great appetite
From this reading “He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.”
plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format
From this reading “And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.”
plural of “pot” — metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading “He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.”
(used especially of meats and fish) dried and cured by hanging in wood smoke
From this reading “He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.”
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading “Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.”
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 “And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.”
In this reading “He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.”
at or in the front
In this reading “And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.”
In this reading “And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.”
In this reading “For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.”
In this reading “Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.”
simultaneously
In this reading “Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.”
work for or be a servant to
In this reading “As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.”
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 For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
plural of “background” — a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
past form of “consume” — eat up completely, as with great appetite
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
plural of “pot” — metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
only a very short time before
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
(used especially of meats and fish) dried and cured by hanging in wood smoke
From this reading He ate little; he smoked boxes of cigarettes; he consumed pots of black coffee.
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Such sleep as he had he snatched for an hour at a time in my armchair.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading As for me, I waited on him hand and foot.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading For a week St. Hilary scarcely left my room.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And always in front of him were the photographs of the backgrounds of the twelve hours.
Chapter 17 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 17 holds 137 sentences of The Clock and the Key, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 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 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 17 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.
