Chapter 8 of Motor Matt Makes Good is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Motor Matt Makes Good is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BAD HALF HOUR. Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied. They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored. "_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons. "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
Chapter 8 of Motor Matt Makes Good is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
past form of “anchor” — fix firmly and stably
From this reading “They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.”
plural of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.”
primitive predaceous North American fish covered with hard scales and having long jaws with needlelike teeth
From this reading “"Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.”
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.”
United States coloratura soprano (born in France) (1904-1976)
From this reading “"_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons.”
absolutely still
From this reading “They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.”
a professional killer who uses a gun
From this reading “"Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"”
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 BAD HALF HOUR.”
In this reading “They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.”
In this reading “They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.”
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 BAD HALF HOUR.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
past form of “anchor” — fix firmly and stably
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading A BAD HALF HOUR.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons.
plural of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
primitive predaceous North American fish covered with hard scales and having long jaws with needlelike teeth
From this reading "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading A BAD HALF HOUR.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A BAD HALF HOUR.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons.
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
United States coloratura soprano (born in France) (1904-1976)
From this reading "_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons.
absolutely still
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
a professional killer who uses a gun
From this reading "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
in the direction of
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied.
in or at the place that
From this reading They stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!"
Chapter 8 of Motor Matt Makes Good by Stanley R. Matthews holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 8 holds 121 sentences of Motor Matt Makes Good, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Motor Matt Makes Good by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 8 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 Motor Matt Makes Good by Stanley R. Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2114 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50080 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50080, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 176 minutes of reading across 423 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Matt Makes Good section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Motor Matt Makes Good 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 Motor Matt Makes Good, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
