Chapter 2 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, I don't need it any more. A man fixed my leg yesterday." "A who--did what?" "A very nice man up in the hills. He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
Chapter 2 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/104 · 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.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “A man fixed my leg yesterday."”
freed from illness or injury
From this reading “He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “"A very nice man up in the hills.”
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading “A man fixed my leg yesterday."”
reflecting light
From this reading “He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."”
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “A man fixed my leg yesterday."”
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.
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 A man fixed my leg yesterday."
anew
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
(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 He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "A who--did what?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading A man fixed my leg yesterday."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
freed from illness or injury
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading A man fixed my leg yesterday."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man fixed my leg yesterday."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A man fixed my leg yesterday."
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I don't need it any more.
reflecting light
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
precisely as stated
From this reading "A very nice man up in the hills.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "A who--did what?"
which person or people
From this reading "A who--did what?"
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading He has a shiny box and he had me hold some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
the day immediately before today
From this reading A man fixed my leg yesterday."
Chapter 2 of Biddy and the silver man by Harlan Ellison holds 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 2 holds 522 sentences of Biddy and the silver man, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Biddy and the silver man by Harlan Ellison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 2 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 Biddy and the silver man by Harlan Ellison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1562 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 130 minutes of reading across 313 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Biddy and the silver man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Biddy and the silver man 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 Biddy and the silver man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
