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 appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
age
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
all
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From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
alreadynounUS /already/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
amiability
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
assuming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
became
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
believenounUS /ˈbelieve/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
changed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
children
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
conduct
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
creaturenounUS /ˈcreature/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
deceive
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
differentnounUS /ˈdifferent/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
easy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
enemy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
entered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
expression
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
fond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
girlhood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
grandmother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
intensified
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
malignity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
manners
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
mentioned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
mistress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
observers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
Painter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
pale-faced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
person
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
pinching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
places
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
residence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
servant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
service
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
sharp-featured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
sly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
tender
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
thirty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
viciously-minded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
waged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
war
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the moment she entered our house she became the enemy of every person in it, and waged open and secret war upon all of us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading Her service with my grandmother had been a very easy one, but things were different when her mistress changed her residence.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
whompronounUS /huːm/
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading I have already mentioned the name of the servant whom my grandmother brought with her to our house; it was Jane Painter.
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In appearance she was a thin, sharp-featured, pale-faced woman; in manners she was a viciously-minded creature, fond of pinching children on the sly in tender places, assuming the while, to deceive observers, an expression of amiability, which intensified the malignity of her conduct.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had been with my grandmother for many years, from girlhood I believe, and she was now about thirty years of age.
