Chapter 15 of So Big is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of So Big is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Paula looked up at Dirk. “You ride, don’t you?” “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.” “You’ll have to learn. We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
Chapter 15 of So Big is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 relatively long dagger with a straight blade
From this reading “Paula looked up at Dirk.”
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading ““I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.””
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading ““You’ll have to learn.”
plural of “nag” — someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault
From this reading ““I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.””
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?””
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading ““You ride, don’t you?””
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?””
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading ““I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.””
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.
seek information from
In this reading “Paula looked up at Dirk.”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Paula looked up at Dirk.
riding without a saddle
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
a relatively long dagger with a straight blade
From this reading Paula looked up at Dirk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You ride, don’t you?”
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You’ll have to learn.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “You’ll have to learn.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Paula looked up at Dirk.
plural of “nag” — someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paula looked up at Dirk.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “You ride, don’t you?”
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Paula looked up at Dirk.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “I used to ride the old nags, bareback, on the farm.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ll teach him, won’t we, Pat?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You ride, don’t you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll have to learn.
Chapter 15 of So Big by Edna Ferber holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 15 holds 413 sentences of So Big, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of So Big by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 15 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.
