Chapter 3 of So Big is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of So Big is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nitrate of soda. Ammonium sulfate. Dried blood. Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly. Dried blood!
Chapter 3 of So Big is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the ion NH4 derived from ammonia; behaves in many respects like an alkali metal ion
From this reading “Ammonium sulfate.”
not still wet
From this reading “Dried blood.”
with extreme care or delicacy
From this reading “Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.”
any compound containing the nitrate group (such as a salt or ester of nitric acid)
From this reading “Nitrate of soda.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.”
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading “Nitrate of soda.”
a salt or ester of sulphuric acid
From this reading “Ammonium sulfate.”
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 “Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.”
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.
the ion NH4 derived from ammonia; behaves in many respects like an alkali metal ion
From this reading Ammonium sulfate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Dried blood.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
not still wet
From this reading Dried blood.
with extreme care or delicacy
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
any compound containing the nitrate group (such as a salt or ester of nitric acid)
From this reading Nitrate of soda.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nitrate of soda.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading Nitrate of soda.
a salt or ester of sulphuric acid
From this reading Ammonium sulfate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Selina shut the book and handed it back to Roelf, gingerly.
Chapter 3 of So Big by Edna Ferber holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of So Big, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of So Big by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 So Big by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7956 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61686 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61686, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1592 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through So Big section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of So Big 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 So Big, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
