Chapter 16 of So Big is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of So Big is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A clean amputation. “No, Mother.” She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face. She looked suddenly old, tired. Her shoulders sagged.
Chapter 16 of So Big is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading “She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.”
a condition of disability resulting from the loss of one or more limbs
From this reading “A clean amputation.”
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading “A clean amputation.”
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading “She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.”
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading “She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.”
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “Her shoulders sagged.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “Her shoulders sagged.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading “She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.”
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 “She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.”
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 clean amputation.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
a condition of disability resulting from the loss of one or more limbs
From this reading A clean amputation.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading A clean amputation.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked suddenly old, tired.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “No, Mother.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, Mother.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading She looked suddenly old, tired.
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading Her shoulders sagged.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Her shoulders sagged.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She looked suddenly old, tired.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading She looked suddenly old, tired.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading She gave an actual gasp, as though icy water had been thrown full in her face.
Chapter 16 of So Big by Edna Ferber holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 16 holds 434 sentences of So Big, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of So Big by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 16 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.
