Chapter 21 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLOSING THE NET. “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry. “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?” “It certainly was,” agreed Jerry. “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
Chapter 21 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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 closing something
From this reading “CLOSING THE NET.”
a message received and understood
From this reading ““Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?””
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading ““Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.”
an instance of becoming narrow
From this reading ““Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “CLOSING THE NET.”
not divisible by two
From this reading ““Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?””
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading ““I want to get another look at the note Paul has.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading ““Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?””
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 ““Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.”
In this reading ““Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?””
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading ““I want to get another look at the note Paul has.”
a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)
In this reading ““Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?””
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “It certainly was,” agreed Jerry.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “It certainly was,” agreed Jerry.
the act of closing something
From this reading CLOSING THE NET.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
a message received and understood
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
an instance of becoming narrow
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading CLOSING THE NET.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
a brief written record
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
not divisible by two
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
on the contrary
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CLOSING THE NET.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I want to get another look at the note Paul has.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It certainly was,” agreed Jerry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Rather odd, that information about the queer bank bill coming out, wasn’t it?”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
at the time that
From this reading “Well, things seem to be narrowing down,” said Ned the next day, when he called on Jerry.
Chapter 21 of The Motor Boys by Clarence Young holds 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 21 holds 83 sentences of The Motor Boys, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Motor Boys by Clarence Young exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 83 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 21 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 The Motor Boys by Clarence Young on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3765 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42461, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 753 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Motor Boys section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Motor Boys 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 The Motor Boys, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
