Chapter 37 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 XXXVII
Chapter 37 of The Lock and Key Library — American is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He smiled, but was silent. “Ah! you won’t answer. We’ll see.” I pressed the knife slowly against his throat. His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
Chapter 37 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.
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
with spasms
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading “His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.”
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading “I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.”
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 His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah! you won’t answer.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
react verbally
From this reading “Ah! you won’t answer.
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He smiled, but was silent.
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He smiled, but was silent.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
expressed without speech
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
compacted by ironing
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We’ll see.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He smiled, but was silent.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He smiled, but was silent.
with spasms
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading His face contracted spasmodically, but although a thin red thread of blood sprang out along the edge of the blade, Brake remained mute.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading I pressed the knife slowly against his throat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He smiled, but was silent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ll see.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah! you won’t answer.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Ah! you won’t answer.
Chapter 37 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 37 holds 175 sentences of The Lock and Key Library — American, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 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 37 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.
