Chapter 3 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I saw him and he talked to me." Davey's eyes asked the question. "What--?" Biddy dropped her own eyes. "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Chapter 3 of Biddy and the silver man is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “"I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Davey's eyes asked the question.”
adult female chicken
From this reading “Biddy dropped her own eyes.”
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading “"I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “Biddy dropped her own eyes.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Davey's eyes asked the question.”
cut with a saw
From this reading “"I saw him and he talked to me."”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “"I saw him and he talked to me."”
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 “Biddy dropped her own eyes.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
any person at all
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Davey's eyes asked the question.
adult female chicken
From this reading Biddy dropped her own eyes.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Davey's eyes asked the question.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Biddy dropped her own eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Davey's eyes asked the question.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Biddy dropped her own eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Biddy dropped her own eyes.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Davey's eyes asked the question.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
express in words
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Davey's eyes asked the question.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I saw him and he talked to me."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What--?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I wouldn't tell anybody where Joe's cave is, Davey."
Chapter 3 of Biddy and the silver man by Harlan Ellison holds 515 sentences, grouped into 103 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 515 sentences of Biddy and the silver man, unabridged, divided into 103 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Biddy and the silver man by Harlan Ellison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 515 sentences, grouped into 103 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 103 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 103 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 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.
