Chapter XX of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Muscles “Muscles” In,” is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter XX of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Muscles “Muscles” In,” is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes. He was growing more and more impatient. The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock. Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out. The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
Chapter XX of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “Muscles “Muscles” In,” is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
the point in time at which something must be completed
From this reading “Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.”
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading “He was growing more and more impatient.”
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading “The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
according to the clock
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading “The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.”
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
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 “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
In this reading “The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.”
In this reading “Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.”
In this reading “The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.”
In this reading “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
In this reading “Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.”
In this reading “The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.”
become used up; be exhausted
In this reading “Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.”
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 He was growing more and more impatient.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
the point in time at which something must be completed
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading He was growing more and more impatient.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was growing more and more impatient.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading He was growing more and more impatient.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was growing more and more impatient.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
according to the clock
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
the season of growth
From this reading The powerful mechanic had returned to the spring.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The minute hand showed it to be ten minutes past four o’clock.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was growing more and more impatient.
look attentively
From this reading Muscles checked his watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Twenty minutes remained before Biff’s four-hour deadline would run out.
Chapter 20 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 20 holds 156 sentences of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 20 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 Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4215 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51608, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mystery of the Chinese Ring section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Mystery of the Chinese Ring 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 Mystery of the Chinese Ring, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
