Chapter 4 of The Second Latchkey is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Second Latchkey is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out. As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey. It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart. "Take this," she whispered. "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
Chapter 4 of The Second Latchkey is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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 downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.”
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading “It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “"If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."”
key for raising or drawing back a latch or opening an outside door
From this reading “THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.”
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading “It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.”
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.”
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading “It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
put on clothes
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
key for raising or drawing back a latch or opening an outside door
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
carry out
From this reading "Take this," she whispered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Take this," she whispered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As Annesley put her hand into his to descend she gave him the latchkey.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It had been inside the neck of her dress, and the metal was warm from the warmth of her heart.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "Take this," she whispered.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading THE SECOND LATCHKEY Without another word Smith opened the door and sprang out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If _they_ are watching, it will be best for you to have the key."
Chapter 4 of The Second Latchkey by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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.
Chapter 4 holds 236 sentences of The Second Latchkey, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Second Latchkey by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 4 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 Second Latchkey by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5565 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18470 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18470, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 463 minutes of reading across 1113 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second Latchkey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Second Latchkey 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 Second Latchkey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
