Chapter 15 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GLASS SPHERES. Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor. The satchel quivered in his hands. Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce. The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
Chapter 15 of Motor Matt's Mandarin is here in full — 138 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.
the act of breaking something
From this reading “The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.”
a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading “Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.”
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.”
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading “The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.”
having or showing only one eye
From this reading “Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.”
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.”
plural of “sphere” — a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading “THE GLASS SPHERES.”
plural of “tremor” — an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)
From this reading “Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.”
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 “The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.”
In this reading “Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
the act of breaking something
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading THE GLASS SPHERES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The satchel quivered in his hands.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The satchel quivered in his hands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The satchel quivered in his hands.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
having or showing only one eye
From this reading Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The satchel quivered in his hands.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.
luggage consisting of a small case with a flat bottom and (usually) a shoulder strap
From this reading The satchel quivered in his hands.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
plural of “sphere” — a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading THE GLASS SPHERES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GLASS SPHERES.
plural of “tremor” — an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)
From this reading Tremors shook the one-eyed sailor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Pryne was filled with consternation, and showed it as plainly as did Bunce.
but in spite of that
From this reading The full meaning of the situation had not dawned on Goldstein as yet, but the light was slowly breaking.
Chapter 15 of Motor Matt's Mandarin by Stanley R. Matthews holds 138 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 15 holds 138 sentences of Motor Matt's Mandarin, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Motor Matt's Mandarin by Stanley R. Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 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 15 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.
