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 The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
banked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
blue
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
brokennounUS /broken/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
burst
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
collapsed
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From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
Contrasting
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From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
copper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
couplenounUS /ˈkʌpəl/
two people or things considered together
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
daylight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
drainpipe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
dresser
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
evident
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
fashion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
feet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
floor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
flowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
flutteringverbUS /ˈflʌtərɪŋ/
moving with quick light beats or trembles
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
frame
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
garden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
greater
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
green
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
hardware
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
high
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
imitating
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
kitchen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
littered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
mass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
mould
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
neat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
number
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
OutsidenounUS /ˈoutside/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
pale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
range
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
ruin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
shone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
sitting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
smashed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
soil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
stained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
supplements
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
tiles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
tin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
uprooted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the top of the window frame we could see an uprooted drainpipe.
vessels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
vividly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
wallpaper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
walls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Outside, the soil was banked high against the house.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wallpaper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coloured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The window had been burst in by a mass of garden mould, which flowed over the table upon which we had been sitting and lay about our feet.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The floor was littered with smashed hardware; the end of the kitchen towards the house was broken into, and since the daylight shone in there, it was evident the greater part of the house had collapsed.
