Chapter 30 of The Lock and Key Library — American is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of The Lock and Key Library — American is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Still I listened and gazed. Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room. It was Carwin! While I had breath, I shrieked. While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
Chapter 30 of The Lock and Key Library — American is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading “Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.”
the condition of being concealed or hidden
From this reading “Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.”
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.”
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading “While I had breath, I shrieked.”
having or growing on or from a peduncle or stalk
From this reading “Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.”
push forcefully
From this reading “Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.”
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.”
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 Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Still I listened and gazed.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading While I had breath, I shrieked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Carwin!
the condition of being concealed or hidden
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Still I listened and gazed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading While I had breath, I shrieked.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Still I listened and gazed.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Carwin!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Still I listened and gazed.
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 Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
above and across; more than
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading While I had breath, I shrieked.
having or growing on or from a peduncle or stalk
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still I listened and gazed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
push forcefully
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
not well-proportioned and pleasing in shape
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not long, for the shadow moved; a foot, unshapely and huge, was thrust forward; a form advanced from its concealment, and stalked into the room.
during the time that
From this reading While I had breath, I shrieked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading While I had power over my muscles, I motioned with my hand that he should vanish.
Chapter 30 of The Lock and Key Library — American by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 30 holds 175 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — American, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of The Lock and Key Library — American by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 30 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 — American by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6847 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2043 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2043, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 570 minutes of reading across 1370 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lock and Key Library — American section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Lock and Key Library — American 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 — American, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
