Chapter 11 of Motor Matt's Defiance is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Motor Matt's Defiance is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TIGHTENING COIL. Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment. The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him. He did not ask Matt to sit down. "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
Chapter 11 of Motor Matt's Defiance is here in full — 131 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 structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading “THE TIGHTENING COIL.”
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading “Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.”
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “"Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.”
an amphibious division of the United States Navy
From this reading “Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.”
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading “"Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.”
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading “The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.”
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading “"Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.”
the act of making something tighter
From this reading “THE TIGHTENING COIL.”
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 “Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.”
take a seat
In this reading “He did not ask Matt to sit down.”
In this reading “"Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.”
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 Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading THE TIGHTENING COIL.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
an amphibious division of the United States Navy
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
not any; not one
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
third-person singular of “own” — have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
be seated
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading The captain sat in a chair before a desk, smoking a cigar and scowling at him.
a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TIGHTENING COIL.
the act of making something tighter
From this reading THE TIGHTENING COIL.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not ask Matt to sit down.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mere formality, made no comment.
which person or people
From this reading "Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
Chapter 11 of Motor Matt's Defiance by Stanley R. Matthews holds 131 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 11 holds 131 sentences of Motor Matt's Defiance, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Motor Matt's Defiance by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 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 11 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's Defiance by Stanley R. Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2217 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49937 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49937, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 184 minutes of reading across 444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Matt's Defiance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Motor Matt's Defiance 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's Defiance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
