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 Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
black
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
brighter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then came a wonder.
ceased
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
Europe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
falling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
fled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
floods
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
ghostly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
grew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
hill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
hotter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
houses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
incessantly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
Larger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
lost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
ocean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
phosphorescence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
plunged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
rising
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
rose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
rotation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
ships
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
sliding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
slopes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
spaces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
speckled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
star
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
steam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
storm-tossed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
swiftness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then came a wonder.
thitheradverbUS /ˈðɪθɜːr/
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
thousand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
tropical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
upland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
vain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a thousand open spaces of down and upland the people who had fled thither from the floods and the falling houses and sliding slopes of hill watched for that rising in vain.
watched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
waves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
whirling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Larger grew the star, and larger, hotter, and brighter with a terrible swiftness now.
wonder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then came a wonder.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to those who in Europe watched for the rising of the star that the world must have ceased its rotation.
wreaths
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tropical ocean had lost its phosphorescence, and the whirling steam rose in ghostly wreaths from the black waves that plunged incessantly, speckled with storm-tossed ships.