Chapter 9 of Motor Matt's Engagement is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Motor Matt's Engagement is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CALL FOR HELP. "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton. At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move. "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either. Grab him, Matt!
Chapter 9 of Motor Matt's Engagement is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading “At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “"Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.”
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading “At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.”
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “"Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.”
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading “Grab him, Matt!”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Grab him, Matt!”
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 “"He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.”
In this reading “At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.”
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 CALL FOR HELP.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
from appearances alone
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A CALL FOR HELP.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
a secret listener to private conversations
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
one or the other of two
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A CALL FOR HELP.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading Grab him, Matt!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading A CALL FOR HELP.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Grab him, Matt!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading At first, Ben Ali sat blinking at those before him, apparently too dazed to move.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's an eavesdropper!" cried McGlory, "and this ain't the first time we've caught him at it, either.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, sizzlin' thunderbolts!" gasped the amazed Burton.
Chapter 9 of Motor Matt's Engagement by Stanley R. Matthews holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 9 holds 127 sentences of Motor Matt's Engagement, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Motor Matt's Engagement by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 9 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 Engagement by Stanley R. Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2329 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52138 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52138, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 194 minutes of reading across 466 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Matt's Engagement section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Motor Matt's Engagement 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 Engagement, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
