Chapter 3 of 32 Caliber is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of 32 Caliber is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!" "But aren't you going to find the other car?" I demanded. "What other car?" he snapped. "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
Chapter 3 of 32 Caliber is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “"The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “"But aren't you going to find the other car?"”
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading “"The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “I demanded.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “"That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “"That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"”
plural of “risk” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “"That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"What other car?" he snapped.”
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 "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading I demanded.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the act of departing
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I demanded.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
plural of “risk” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "What other car?" he snapped.
carry out
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; that caused this accident."
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What other car?" he snapped.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "That's the way it always happens," he came back at me; "they take risks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But aren't you going to find the other car?"
Chapter 3 of 32 Caliber by Donald McGibeny holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 3 holds 427 sentences of 32 Caliber, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of 32 Caliber by Donald McGibeny exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 3 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 32 Caliber by Donald McGibeny on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22781 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22781, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 249 minutes of reading across 600 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 32 Caliber section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of 32 Caliber 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 32 Caliber, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
