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 It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
Alleyne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
arches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
Away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
bars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
Beaulieu
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
bells
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
birds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
boughs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
broad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
coppery
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
delicate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
distance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
ereconjunctionUS /er/
an old word for “before”
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
evening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
freedom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
glowingnounUS /ˈglowing/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
golden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
green
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
hours
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
lad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
LongnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
man's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
merrily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
mourning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
nature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
places
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
raise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
redness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
shining
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
shot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
slantwise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
sound
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
spend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
staff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
striding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
sturdily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
sun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
swinging
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
thicketnounUS /ˈθɪkɪt/
a dense group of bushes or small trees
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
threw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was an evening to raise a man's heart.
traceries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
tracknounUS /træk/
a route or signs showing the way someone went
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun shining slantwise through the trees threw delicate traceries across the road, with bars of golden light between.
turning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away in the distance before and behind, the green boughs, now turning in places to a coppery redness, shot their broad arches across the track.
twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
veins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
whistling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
wide
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, however, in the nature of things that a lad of twenty, with young life glowing in his veins and all the wide world before him, should spend his first hours of freedom in mourning for what he had left.
