Chapter 8 of Motor Matt's Launch 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's Launch is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PLAN THAT FAILED. Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry. As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money. "This is luck!" whispered Lorry. "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
Chapter 8 of Motor Matt's Launch 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.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.”
a large low horse-drawn wagon without sides
From this reading “Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “"This is luck!" whispered Lorry.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.”
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.”
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading “As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.”
chosen in preference to another
From this reading “As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry'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 “"If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."”
recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
In this reading “"If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."”
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 PLAN THAT FAILED.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading A PLAN THAT FAILED.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is luck!" whispered Lorry.
a large low horse-drawn wagon without sides
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "This is luck!" whispered Lorry.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading A PLAN THAT FAILED.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
chosen in preference to another
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A PLAN THAT FAILED.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is luck!" whispered Lorry.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Motor Matt was as profoundly surprised at the way matters were falling out as were McGlory and Lorry.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "This is luck!" whispered Lorry.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading As McGlory had said, fate seemed to have selected Matt for the particular work of recovering Lorry's money.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you can get back that money for me, Motor Matt, I'll give you five dollars."
Chapter 8 of Motor Matt's Launch 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's Launch, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Motor Matt's Launch 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'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.
