Chapter II of A Hoodoo Machine, “Matt King’s Resolve,” is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter II of A Hoodoo Machine, “Matt King’s Resolve,” is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy. “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt. “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine. It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.” “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
Chapter II of A Hoodoo Machine, “Matt King’s Resolve,” is here in full — 134 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.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading ““Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.”
a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading ““That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.”
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading ““If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading ““Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.”
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading “It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.””
play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
From this reading ““Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.”
being five more than twenty
From this reading “It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.””
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 “It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.””
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 It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
ten 10s
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
roused to anger
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
being five more than twenty
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
Chapter 2 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews holds 134 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 2 holds 134 sentences of A Hoodoo Machine, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Hoodoo Machine by Stanley R. [Adapter] Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 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 2 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.
