Chapter 13 of Motor Matt's Mandarin 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 XIII
Chapter 13 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A TIGHT CORNER. It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled." A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career. To these he added a quick and sure judgment. "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
Chapter 13 of Motor Matt's Mandarin 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.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."”
marked by abrupt transitions
From this reading “"Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.”
absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
From this reading “A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."”
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."”
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading “A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.”
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “A TIGHT CORNER.”
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 “A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.”
In this reading “A TIGHT CORNER.”
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 TIGHT CORNER.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
marked by abrupt transitions
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
rid of obstructions
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A TIGHT CORNER.
absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
an opinion formed by judging something
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
the sound of laughing
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
make steady
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading A TIGHT CORNER.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To these he added a quick and sure judgment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a characteristic of Motor Matt that he never became "rattled."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A clear head and steady nerves were absolutely essential in his chosen career.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Surprised, are you?" asked Grattan, with a choppy laugh.
Chapter 13 of Motor Matt's Mandarin 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 13 holds 121 sentences of Motor Matt's Mandarin, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Motor Matt's Mandarin 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 13 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.
