Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys in Mexico is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 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 in Mexico is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND. It was too uneven a chase to last long. Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick. He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow. For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys in Mexico is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
people who are frustrated and perplexed
From this reading “For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.”
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “It was too uneven a chase to last long.”
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading “Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.”
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.”
plural of “mexican” — a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading “For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.”
closely encircling
From this reading “For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.”
not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture
From this reading “It was too uneven a chase to last long.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND.”
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 “Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.”
In this reading “He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.”
fall or descend to a lower place or level
In this reading “He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.”
In this reading “For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.”
In this reading “He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.”
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 It was too uneven a chase to last long.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
people who are frustrated and perplexed
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
set up or found
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND.
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
in a gradual manner
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
immediately past
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
plural of “mexican” — a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
determined
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
in the near future
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
closely encircling
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He came to a big rock and dropped down behind it, hiding in the shadow.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a time the Mexicans were baffled, but they spread about in a half circle and Bob could hear them gradually surrounding him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was too uneven a chase to last long.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Bob soon found that his enemies were gaining on him, and he resolved to play a trick.
Chapter 26 of The Motor Boys in Mexico by Clarence Young holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 129 sentences of The Motor Boys in Mexico, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Motor Boys in Mexico by Clarence Young exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 in Mexico by Clarence Young on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3950 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43204 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43204, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Motor Boys in Mexico section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Motor Boys in Mexico 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 in Mexico, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
