Chapter 17 of The last vial is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The last vial is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fasten your seat belts." The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet. We were going down through the overcast. Vancouver was ten minutes away. "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
Chapter 17 of The last vial is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 “airline” — a hose that carries air under pressure
From this reading “The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.”
plural of “belt” — endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading “"Fasten your seat belts."”
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading “The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.”
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading “"Fasten your seat belts."”
an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading “The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.”
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading “We were going down through the overcast.”
a woman steward on an airplane
From this reading “"Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.”
English navigator remembered for his exploration of the Pacific coast of North America (1757-1798)
From this reading “Vancouver was ten minutes away.”
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 “Vancouver was ten minutes away.”
the latest possible moment
In this reading “"Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.”
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 "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
plural of “airline” — a hose that carries air under pressure
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Vancouver was ten minutes away.
plural of “belt” — endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading "Fasten your seat belts."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
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 "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading "Fasten your seat belts."
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
the act of departing
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
immediately past
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Vancouver was ten minutes away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
the largest ocean in the world
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "Fasten your seat belts."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
a woman steward on an airplane
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Vancouver was ten minutes away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The light flashed on in the passenger cabin of the Canadian Pacific Airlines jet.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
English navigator remembered for his exploration of the Pacific coast of North America (1757-1798)
From this reading Vancouver was ten minutes away.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Vancouver was ten minutes away.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were going down through the overcast.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you enjoy your flight, Colonel?" the stewardess asked me as she came by for a last minute check.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Fasten your seat belts."
Chapter 17 of The last vial by Sam McClatchie holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 17 holds 142 sentences of The last vial, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The last vial by Sam McClatchie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 17 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.
