Chapter 3 of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park. Morning, with all her music, was abroad. I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes. Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
Chapter 3 of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “blind” — people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
Old World vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
-ing form of “low” — make a low noise, characteristic of bovines
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.”
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.”
a ray of sunlight
From this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
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.
In this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
In this reading “A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.”
get going or set in motion
In this reading “I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.”
In this reading “I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.”
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 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
plural of “blind” — people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
the act of discovering something
From this reading A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
death of a person
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
Old World vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
-ing form of “low” — make a low noise, characteristic of bovines
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
expressed without speech
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
a ray of sunlight
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I started up in bed and rubbed my eyes.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A golden sunbeam was shining through a crevice in the blinds; the birds were twittering in the ivy outside; oxen were lowing to each other across the park.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Morning, with all her music, was abroad.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Within the house everything was as mute as the grave.
Chapter 3 of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 3 holds 132 sentences of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3), unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 3 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 Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2563 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57294, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 513 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3) 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 Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
