The Lock and Key Library

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Julian [Editor] Hawthorne • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/82

The Lock and Key Library Julian [Editor] Hawthorne

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery." This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown." The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death. It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded. This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

The Lock and Key Library

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

/ðɪs maɪ ˈfɑːðər dɪd ˈraɪtɪŋ ɪn wʌn speɪs ˌsækrəˈmentoʊ ˈdɪsənteri/

Line 2

This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

Line 3

The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

/ðə ˈmiːdiəm ˈkwɪkli ɡeɪv ˈdɪsənteri æz ðə dɪˈziːz ənd ˌsækrəˈmentoʊ æz ðə pleɪs ʌv maɪ ˈɡrændfɑːðərz deθ/

Line 4

It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

/ɪt wɑːz pleɪn ðæt hæd maɪ ˈfɑːðər ˈrɪtən ðə ˈvɪlədʒ wer hɪz ˈfɑːðər daɪd ˌɪnˈsted ʌv hɪz ˈberiəl pleɪs ðə ˈmiːdiəm wʊd hæv səkˈsiːdɪd/

Line 5

This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

/ðɪs ˌhaʊˈevər pruːvd bɪˈɑːnd ə daʊt ðæt ðə ˈmiːdiəm əbˈteɪnd hɪz ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən frʌm ðə ˈraɪtɪŋ ənd nɑːt frʌm ðə ˈspɪrɪts ʌv ðə ded/

Learner Dictionary

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.

burial noun US /ˈberiəl/

the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave

From this reading “This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."”

correct verb US /kərˈekt/

make right or correct

From this reading “This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."”

disease noun US /dɪˈziːz/

an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

From this reading “This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."”

dysentery noun US /ˈdɪsənteri/

an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

From this reading “This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."”

grandfather's noun US /ˈɡrændfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother

From this reading “This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."”

medium noun US /ˈmiːdiəm/

a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information

From this reading “The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.”

obtained verb US /əbˈteɪnd/

past form of “obtain” — come into possession of

From this reading “This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.”

Sacramento noun US /ˌsækrəˈmentoʊ/

a city in north central California 75 miles to the northeast of San Francisco on the Sacramento River; capital of California

From this reading “This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

beyond a doubt preposition + article + noun counted as “beyond … doubt”

in a manner or to a degree that could not be doubted

In this reading “This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

burialnounUS /ˈberiəl/

the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

correctverbUS /kərˈekt/

make right or correct

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

diseasenounUS /dɪˈziːz/

an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

dysenterynounUS /ˈdɪsənteri/

an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

grandfather'snounUS /ˈɡrændfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

Hangtown

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

informationnounUS /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

a message received and understood

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

insteadadverbUS /ˌɪnˈsted/

in place of, or as an alternative to

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

mediumnounUS /ˈmiːdiəm/

a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information

From this reading The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

obtainedverbUS /əbˈteɪnd/

past form of “obtain” — come into possession of

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

plainadjectiveUS /pleɪn/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

provedadjectiveUS /pruːvd/

established beyond doubt

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/

with speed

From this reading The medium quickly gave dysentery as the disease, and Sacramento as the place of my grandfather's death.

SacramentonounUS /ˌsækrəˈmentoʊ/

a city in north central California 75 miles to the northeast of San Francisco on the Sacramento River; capital of California

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

spiritsnounUS /ˈspɪrɪts/

an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

From this reading This, however, proved beyond a doubt that the medium obtained his information FROM THE WRITING, and not from the spirits of the dead.

succeededverbUS /səkˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This was the correct disease, but the city was the place of my grandfather's burial, and not the place of his death, the latter being a village called "Hangtown."

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading This my father did, writing in one space "Sacramento dysentery."

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading It was plain that had my father written the village where his father died, instead of his burial place, the medium would have succeeded.

Chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library contain?

Chapter 7 holds 410 sentences of The Lock and Key Library, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Lock and Key Library by Julian [Editor] Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

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Chapter VII

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