Chapter 4 of Motor Matt's Launch is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Motor Matt's Launch is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PING PONG OBJECTS. Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water. He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope. "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope. "No likee boatee!
Chapter 4 of Motor Matt's Launch is here in full — 108 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.”
past form of “gulp” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading “"Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.”
possessive form of “matt” — the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.”
hit with a pinging noise
From this reading “PING PONG OBJECTS.”
an unpleasant smell
From this reading “PING PONG OBJECTS.”
-ing form of “teeter” — move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
From this reading “He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.”
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading “He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.”
move with a sibilant sound
From this reading “"Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.”
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 had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.”
In this reading “He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.”
In this reading “"Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.”
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 He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
only a very short time before
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No likee boatee!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
a youthful male person
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
past form of “gulp” — to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
set down according to a plan
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No likee boatee!
possessive form of “matt” — the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
not any; not one
From this reading "No likee boatee!
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading PING PONG OBJECTS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
hit with a pinging noise
From this reading PING PONG OBJECTS.
an unpleasant smell
From this reading PING PONG OBJECTS.
a strong line
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
cut with a saw
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
-ing form of “teeter” — move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
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 Motor Matt's first intention was to fish the China boy out of the water.
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
at the time that
From this reading He had barely started in the lad's direction, however, when he saw McGlory teetering on the edge of the wharf and throwing a rope.
move with a sibilant sound
From this reading "Whoosh!" gulped the China boy, as he bobbed to the surface and laid hold of the rope.
Chapter 4 of Motor Matt's Launch by Stanley R. Matthews holds 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 4 holds 108 sentences of Motor Matt's Launch, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Motor Matt's Launch by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 108 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 4 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 Launch by Stanley R. Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50533 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50533, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 192 minutes of reading across 462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Matt's Launch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Motor Matt's Launch 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 Launch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
