Chapter 17 of So Big is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of So Big is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions. “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly. “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men. The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying. They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
Chapter 17 of So Big is here in full — 412 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.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
the act of buying
From this reading “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
manual (or mechanical) carrying or moving or delivering or working with something
From this reading ““Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.”
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading ““Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.”
involving risk or danger
From this reading “They think they’re something mysterious and risky.”
in a shrewd manner
From this reading ““Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.”
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 “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
In this reading “The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
the act of buying
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
the act of departing
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
manual (or mechanical) carrying or moving or delivering or working with something
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
the force of workers available
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
of an obscure nature
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
a brief written record
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
involving risk or danger
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
in a shrewd manner
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
in the near future
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
a special situation
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading They think they’re something mysterious and risky.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading “Pretty soon their patronage is going to be as valuable as that of men.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was startling to note how this sort of thing mounted into millions.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The average woman doesn’t know about bonds—about bond buying.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “Women are becoming more and more used to the handling of money,” Paula said, shrewdly.
Chapter 17 of So Big by Edna Ferber holds 412 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 17 holds 412 sentences of So Big, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of So Big by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 17 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.
