Chapter 29 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred. “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.” I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me. He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist. Then I laughed.
Chapter 29 of The Clock and the Key is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading “He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.”
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading ““Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.”
disregarded
From this reading “I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.”
in a negligent manner
From this reading “I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.”
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading “He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.”
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading ““I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.””
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.
the hand that is on the left side of the body
In this reading “I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.”
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 He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
an official engaged in international negotiations
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
Scottish philosopher skeptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
disregarded
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Then I laughed.
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 “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
in a negligent manner
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, it is my friend Hume,” he purred.
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading He had as many changes of front as a Russian diplomatist.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I laughed.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
in the direction of
From this reading I ignored the left hand he extended negligently toward me.
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading “I had thought that Mr. Hume had left Venice.”
Chapter 29 of The Clock and the Key by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Vesey holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 29 holds 180 sentences of The Clock and the Key, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 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 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 29 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.
