Chapter 34 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?" "Thank you, sir." "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!" "A pipe?" The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
Chapter 34 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English is here in full — 202 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"”
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading “"Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “"And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “"And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “"And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"”
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"Thank you, sir."”
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 "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
a youthful male person
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
a boy or man
From this reading The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
the quantity a glass will hold
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
cause to move by pulling
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
express in words
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The fellow is sharp enough when he likes.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Thank you, sir."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you, sir."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
a special situation
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
at the time that
From this reading "And what would you say to a pull at a pipe when the brandy is drunk!"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Bob, what would you say to a glassful of brandy--the real thing--my boy?"
Chapter 34 of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 202 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 34 holds 202 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — Modern English, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 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 202 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 34 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.
