Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
accompanied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
acquaintance
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From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
ago
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From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
anothernounUS /ˈanother/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
barrows
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From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
broken-up
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From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
buildings
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From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
certain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
clay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
concrete
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
crushed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
day
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From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
difficult
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From this reading I found it difficult.
engineer
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From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
evidently
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
evoke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
excavations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I found it difficult.
foundations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
friend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
heaps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
helpnounUS /help/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
hotel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I found it difficult.
KNEW
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
London
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
mindnounUS /mind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
new
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
number
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
old-fashioned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
older
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
PHILIP
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
plan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
pottering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
rather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
records
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
remains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/
To recall to mind.
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
remembered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
rubbish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
streets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
supportverbUS /səˈpɔːrt/
to provide what someone needs in order to live
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
theater
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
thirty-odd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
thrown-up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
trying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
vanished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
wastenounUS /weɪst/
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
WHATpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT PHILIP KNEW I The other day, accompanied by an engineer acquaintance, I was pottering about certain new excavations in the heart of London, and came upon a number of heaps of crushed and broken-up concrete, evidently the remains of old foundations.
wheeling-planks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had these streets been older streets there would have been remembered records to help me.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them had been a theater, another an hotel; and I stood there with my friend, looking over the waste of rubbish and barrows and wheeling-planks and thrown-up London clay, trying to evoke in my mind the exact plan of those vanished streets of thirty-odd years ago.
YetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet those foundations could not have been very old, since I myself could remember the buildings of which they had been the support, and these had been old-fashioned rather than old.
