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 In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
accident
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
always
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
barren
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
beauty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
brief
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
donenounUS /done/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
excused
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
existence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
faces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
fated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
father's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
given
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
helped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
ill-kept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
infants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
Jeoffry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
lady
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
lives
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
matches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
mourn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
Naught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
nearly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
neednounUS /need/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
nonepronounUS /nʌn/
not one, and not any
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
occasions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
perished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
promised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
rarest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
regarded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
remote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
rid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
rooms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
sadly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
scarcely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
seeing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
Sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
six
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
struggled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two who had not perished, she had regarded sadly day by day, seeing they had no beauty and that their faces promised none.
untimely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
untoward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
weeping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
wept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
wing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a remote wing of the house, in barren, ill-kept rooms, the poor infants of the dead lady had struggled through their brief lives, and given them up, one after the other.
wished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Jeoffry had not wished to see them, nor had he done so, but upon the rarest occasions, and then nearly always by some untoward accident.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The six who had died, even their mother had scarcely wept for; her weeping had been that they should have been fated to come into the world, and when they went out of it she knew she need not mourn their going as untimely.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Naught but great beauty would have excused their existence in their father's eyes, as beauty might have helped them to good matches which would have rid him of them.
