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 There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
active
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
age
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
always
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From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
any
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
back
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
carried
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
collected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
considering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
courteously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously.
crutch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
dame
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
flock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
forest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
fruit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
geese
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
grass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
greeted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously.
ground
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
heavy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously.
hobblednounUS /hobbled/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
home
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
large
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
lived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
load
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
met
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
mountains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
picked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
quitenounUS /quite/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
reach
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
safely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
surrounded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the Old Woman took her crutch and hobbled into it.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
wastenounUS /weɪst/
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
weighednounUS /ˈweighed/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always brought it safely home.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
wild
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was once upon a time, a very old woman, who lived with her flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There, however, the dame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.
