Chapter 10 of So Big is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of So Big is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan. And he’s worse than nobody. Just through September and October. After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off. It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
Chapter 10 of So Big is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading ““There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.”
by chance
From this reading “After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “And he’s worse than nobody.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “Just through September and October.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “Just through September and October.”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.”
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 “It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he’s worse than nobody.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
apart from; not including
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he’s worse than nobody.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
and nothing more
From this reading Just through September and October.
by chance
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
not any; not one
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
no person; not anyone
From this reading And he’s worse than nobody.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading Just through September and October.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading Just through September and October.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And he’s worse than nobody.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It is hard to be hopeful at three in the morning, before breakfast.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Just through September and October.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “There’s no one to do it for me, except Jan.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading After that, maybe——” Her voice trailed off.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading And he’s worse than nobody.
Chapter 10 of So Big by Edna Ferber holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 10 holds 428 sentences of So Big, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of So Big by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 10 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.
