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 But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
affairnounUS /əˈfer/
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
Africa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
arrived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
billows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
continuednounUS /ˈcontinued/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
country
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
crests
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
dashing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
death
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
deserts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
Egypt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
escape
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
fast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
finished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
foaming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
Hercules
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
horizon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
journeynounUS /ˈjourney/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
king
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
land
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
measureless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
needs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
ocean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
off
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
Passing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
prisoner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/
except for; apart from
From this reading Nothing was before him, save the foaming, dashing, measureless ocean.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
shore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
slain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Passing through the deserts of Africa, and going as fast as he could, he arrived at last on the shore of the great ocean.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
travels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/
except if; if not
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
walk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, unless he could walk on the crests of the billows, it seemed as if his journey must needs be at an end.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But, suddenly, as he looked towards the horizon, he saw something, a great way off, which he had not seen the moment before.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When this affair was finished, Hercules continued his travels, and went to the land of Egypt, where he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death, if he had not slain the king of the country, and made his escape.
