Chapter 24 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Fire! I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside. Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago. If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again. But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
Chapter 24 of The House by the Lock is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading “If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.”
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading “Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.”
characterized by great determination
From this reading “I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.”
to an extreme degree
From this reading “But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.”
by good fortune
From this reading “Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.”
by chance
From this reading “If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.”
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 “Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.”
In this reading “If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.”
move away from a place into another direction
In this reading “If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.”
In this reading “I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.”
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 Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
later than; following
From this reading But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
anew
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
in the past
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
characterized by great determination
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
to an extreme degree
From this reading But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Fire!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
by good fortune
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
by chance
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading But I was exceedingly tired after my long journey.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
precisely as stated
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went to bed determined not to sleep, but to keep my ears open for any sound in the passage outside.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Luckily there was a creaky board on which he had stepped a few minutes ago.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If he attempted to go away during the night he would very possibly step on it again.
Chapter 24 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 24 holds 53 sentences of The House by the Lock, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 24 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 House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) [Adapter] Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House by the Lock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The House by the Lock 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 House by the Lock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
