Chapter 12 of The last vial is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The last vial is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep. "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you." "Why? What gives? I'm on time."
Chapter 12 of The last vial is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
feel physical pain
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
a place where planes take off and land
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
a car suitable for traveling over rough terrain
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
relating to or promoting digestion
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue
From this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
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.
become ground down or deteriorate
In this reading “The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.”
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 The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
feel physical pain
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
a place where planes take off and land
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading What gives?
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
a car suitable for traveling over rough terrain
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I'm on time."
the act of departing politely
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
relating to or promoting digestion
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
not in physical motion
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I'm on time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What gives?
at the time that
From this reading The ache of parting was still gnawing at my belly like a peptic ulcer when Blackie picked me up at the airfield in a jeep.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My goodness, Colonel, I'm relieved to see you."
Chapter 12 of The last vial by Sam McClatchie holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 12 holds 159 sentences of The last vial, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The last vial by Sam McClatchie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 12 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 last vial by Sam McClatchie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The last vial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The last vial 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 last vial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
