Chapter 31 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, it was not a Pickford's van. Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?" "Wrote what letter?" "Have you forgotten it already? I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
Chapter 31 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “"Have you forgotten it already?”
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading “I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."”
(of goods and merchandise) marked or labeled by a distinctive word or symbol indicating exclusive rights
From this reading “I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."”
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “"Have you forgotten it already?”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"No, it was not a Pickford's van.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"”
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 "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading "Have you forgotten it already?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
(of goods and merchandise) marked or labeled by a distinctive word or symbol indicating exclusive rights
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading "Have you forgotten it already?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you forgotten it already?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
up to a particular time
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No, it was not a Pickford's van.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Wrote what letter?"
at the time that
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I do not believe that there is a word in it which will not be branded on my brain until I die."
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Mabel, were you in Draper's Buildings when you wrote that letter?"
Chapter 31 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 204 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 31 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 Lock and Key Library — Modern English by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8025 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2038 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2038, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1605 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lock and Key Library — Modern English section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English 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 Lock and Key Library — Modern English, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
