Chapter 12 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OLD SUGAR CAMP. Pryne's team was by no means a swift one. The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad. "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye." "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
Chapter 12 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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 sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading “"Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."”
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading “"That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.”
an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months
From this reading “The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.”
inflected form of “jog” — continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
From this reading “The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “"That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “"That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.”
-ing form of “ply” — give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
From this reading “The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading “THE OLD SUGAR CAMP.”
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.
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 Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading THE OLD SUGAR CAMP.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
the organ of sight
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
inflected form of “jog” — continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
not any; not one
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD SUGAR CAMP.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
and nothing more
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
-ing form of “ply” — give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The horses jogged slowly out into the hills, Pryne constantly plying a gad.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading THE OLD SUGAR CAMP.
moving very fast
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's another pal of his," said Matt coolly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD SUGAR CAMP.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Seems to me like," remarked Pryne, looking around suddenly, "that Grattan allowed Bunce had only one eye."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pryne's team was by no means a swift one.
Chapter 12 of Motor Matt's Mandarin by Stanley R. Matthews holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 12 holds 139 sentences of Motor Matt's Mandarin, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Motor Matt's Mandarin by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 12 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 Mandarin by Stanley R. Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2261 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53390 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53390, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 453 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Matt's Mandarin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Motor Matt's Mandarin 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 Mandarin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
