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 And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
always
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From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
berry-patch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
blackberries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
Burl
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From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
bushes
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From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
dark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
deeply
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
discourage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
discovery
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
distance
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From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
distrusted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
drawbacks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
encounter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
Eventually
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
familiar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
food
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
fruit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
glistening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
greater
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
midday
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
midst
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
near
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
neednounUS /need/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
noises
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
opinion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
patch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
rejoicenounUS /ˈrejoice/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
sizes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
struggling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
thorns
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
true
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The opinion could have drawbacks, and it need not be always even true, but Burl did nothing to discourage it.
uneasy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
unfamiliar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then, near midday, they made a discovery even greater than that of familiar food in unfamiliar sizes.
untouched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the midst of such an untouched berry-patch they heard noises in the distance.
used
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
vast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading They were struggling, at the time, through a vast patch of bushes with thorns on them--they were not used to thorns--which they deeply distrusted.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Eventually they would find out that the glistening dark fruit were blackberries, and would rejoice in them, but at this first encounter they were uneasy.
