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 CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
able
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
attended
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
bed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
behold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
believable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
candles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
certain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
chamber
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
CLOSED
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
communicate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
conscious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
CORRIDORS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
darkness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
days
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
doors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
Dunstan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
eerie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
enormous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
existence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
fact
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
fantasy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
flickering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
flights
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
four-post
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
gloomy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
human
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
hundred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
insistent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
large
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
late
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
lead
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
likely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
man's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
mindnounUS /mind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
Mount
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
murdered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
one's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
perforce
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
pictured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
play
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
prepared
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
presence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
profound
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
quarters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
remote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
rooms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
scorenounUS /score/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
seeing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
servants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
shut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
sleep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
slept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
smiles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
softly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
spend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
stairs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
stare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
stretches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
tellnounUS /tell/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
times
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
ToparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
tombs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
tricks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
unending
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
unholy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
unmounted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
unoccupied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
untrodden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
unwholesome
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
used
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
walked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
walls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
want
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He used to tell himself with secret smiles at the fact that at certain times the fantasy was half believable--that there were things which walked about softly at night--things which did not want to be dead.
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading When he came late to his room and prepared for sleep by the light of two flickering candles the silence of the dead in tombs was about him; but it was only a more profound and insistent thing than the silence of the day, because it was the silence of the night, which is a presence.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mount Dunstan slept in a large four-post bed in a chamber in which he might have died or been murdered a score of times without being able to communicate with the remote servants' quarters below stairs, where lay the one man and one woman who attended him.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To know the existence of a hundred or so of closed doors shut on the darkness of unoccupied rooms; to be conscious of flights of unmounted stairs, of stretches of untrodden corridors, of unending walls, from which the pictured eyes of long dead men and women stare, as if seeing things which human eyes behold not--is an eerie and unwholesome thing.
workings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CLOSED CORRIDORS To spend one's days perforce in an enormous house alone is a thing likely to play unholy tricks with a man's mind and lead it to gloomy workings.
