Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS. For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say. Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled. Jerry alone kept cool. “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS.”
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading “Jerry alone kept cool.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.”
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.”
a region marking a boundary
From this reading “Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.”
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 “For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.”
In this reading “Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.”
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 For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS.
later than; following
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Jerry alone kept cool.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Jerry alone kept cool.
the act of discovering something
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Jerry alone kept cool.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading NODDY’S QUEER ACTIONS.
with speed
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
express in words
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Events had happened so rapidly, and they seemed on the verge of such a discovery, that they were startled.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading For a few moments after Jerry had spoken neither Ned nor Bob knew what to say.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you think Noddy will do?” asked Ned.
Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys by Clarence Young holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 26 holds 99 sentences of The Motor Boys, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Motor Boys by Clarence Young exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 26 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.
