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 could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
beautiful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
blankness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
cam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
capital
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
career
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
concerned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
copies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
country-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
deep
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From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
faces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
fancy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
given
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
good-humouredly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
intellectual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
intonations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
looks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
margin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
marked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
much
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
odd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
pence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
photographs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
pleasantnounUS /pleasant/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
presentation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
quickly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
repose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
resource
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
shillings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
surenounUS /sure/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was odd how quickly I was sure of everything that concerned them.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Their good looks had been their capital, and they had good-humouredly made the most of the career that this resource marked out for them.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
visiting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If they were now so poor as to have to cam shillings and pence they could never have had much of a margin.
wrote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could fancy the "sort of thing" they put on the presentation copies of their photographs, and I was sure they wrote a beautiful hand.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in their faces, the blankness, the deep intellectual repose of the twenty years of country-house visiting that had given them pleasant intonations.
![Some Short Stories [by Henry James]](/static/images/covers-gen/some-short-stories-by-henry-james.academy.webp)