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 “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
aches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
addednounUS /added/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
air
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
Allan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
Alsager
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
always
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
answer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
beguiling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
charm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
cure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
departure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
distillation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
drawing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
dress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
false
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
fire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
golden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
harbour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
hours
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
immediate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
leave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
lingered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
loneliness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
longings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
making
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
Mrs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
much
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
near
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
NONA
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NONA VINCENT.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
proposal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
read
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
refuge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
several
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
shy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
sideways
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
simply
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
sincerity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
soothing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
spent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
starts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
storms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
VINCENT
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NONA VINCENT.
warm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
Wayworth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her charm was always great for Allan Wayworth, and the whole air of her house, which was simply a sort of distillation of herself, so soothing, so beguiling that he always made several false starts before departure.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading She looked down at the fire sideways, drawing her dress away from it and making her proposal with a shy sincerity that added to her charm.
WONDEREDnounUS /wondered/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
worries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had spent some such good hours there, had forgotten, in her warm, golden drawing-room, so much of the loneliness and so many of the worries of his life, that it had come to be the immediate answer to his longings, the cure for his aches, the harbour of refuge from his storms.
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I WONDERED whether you wouldn’t read it to me,” said Mrs. Alsager, as they lingered a little near the fire before he took leave.
