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 She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
arrived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
attention
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
Balsamo
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From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
beautiful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
BEAUTY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LIQUOR OF BEAUTY.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
bowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
calculation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
caught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
cheek
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
coming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Gracious, did you know that I was coming?”
Dance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
Death
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Gracious, did you know that I was coming?”
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
face
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
favorite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
Gracious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Gracious, did you know that I was coming?”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
Holbein's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
horses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
host
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
impatiently
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
joy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Gracious, did you know that I was coming?”
leaves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
LIQUOR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LIQUOR OF BEAUTY.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
Louis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
mirror
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LIQUOR OF BEAUTY.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
opened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/
an old-fashioned sitting room
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
picture
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
powdering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
shown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
smile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
sorry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
speed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Gracious, did you know that I was coming?”
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LIQUOR OF BEAUTY.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
turning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
wait
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
waited
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had just arrived at the picture of the Beauty powdering her cheek before a mirror, when the host opened the door and bowed to her with a smile of joy over his face.
XV
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The beautiful favorite of Louis XV. had been shown into the parlor where she impatiently waited for Balsamo while turning over the leaves of Holbein’s Dance of Death, which caught her attention on the table.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am sorry to have made you wait,” he said, “but I was a little out in my calculation about the speed of your horses.”
