Chapter 1 of The Motormaniacs is here in full — 504 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Motormaniacs is here in full — 504 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party. "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be." "I am made of sterner stuff," I said. "Besides, I am dying to know all about it." "All about what?"
Chapter 1 of The Motormaniacs is here in full — 504 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/100 · 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.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “"Besides, I am dying to know all about it."”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “"Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."”
every person
From this reading “"Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “"Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."”
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “"I am made of sterner stuff," I said.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “"I am made of sterner stuff," I said.”
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “"It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.”
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 "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am made of sterner stuff," I said.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
in addition to; as well as
From this reading "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
every person
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
a young female
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Besides, I am dying to know all about it."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I am made of sterner stuff," I said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading "I am made of sterner stuff," I said.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "I am made of sterner stuff," I said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then you are not afraid of an engaged girl," she observed "Everybody else seems to be."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "All about what?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "It's jolly to get you off by yourself," I said as we wandered away from the rest of the party.
Chapter 1 of The Motormaniacs by Lloyd Osbourne holds 504 sentences, grouped into 101 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 1 holds 504 sentences of The Motormaniacs, unabridged, divided into 101 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Motormaniacs by Lloyd Osbourne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 504 sentences, grouped into 101 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 101 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 101 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 1 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 Motormaniacs by Lloyd Osbourne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1963 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 163 minutes of reading across 393 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Motormaniacs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Motormaniacs 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 Motormaniacs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
