Chapter 1 of A Hoodoo Machine is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Hoodoo Machine is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt! Look at that bubble wagon! Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole? I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing. Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
Chapter 1 of A Hoodoo Machine is here in full — 133 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.
form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading “Look at that bubble wagon!”
general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
From this reading “Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’””
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?”
long-horned beef cattle formerly common in southwestern United States
From this reading “I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading ““Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt!”
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading “Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “Look at that bubble wagon!”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Look at that bubble wagon!”
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 Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Look at that bubble wagon!
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading Look at that bubble wagon!
general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
one or the other of two
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
an acrobatic feat in which a person goes from a standing position to a handstand and back again
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
long-horned beef cattle formerly common in southwestern United States
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look at that bubble wagon!
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt!
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt!
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Look at that bubble wagon!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
a special situation
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
hard to endure
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Is it trying to turn a handspring, or ‘skin the cat,’ or climb that telephone pole?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I reckon the longhorn up front don’t know how to run the thing.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading Look at that bubble wagon!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sufferin’ whirligigs, Pard Matt!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Either that, or else he’s ‘bug’ with a big ‘B.’”
Chapter 1 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews holds 133 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 1 holds 133 sentences of A Hoodoo Machine, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 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 1 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 A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53607 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53607, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Hoodoo Machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A Hoodoo Machine 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 A Hoodoo Machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
