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 MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
altogether
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
any
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I at any rate found it so.
arms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I at any rate found it so.
bewildering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
childhood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
complexity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
confronted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
days
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
DILEMMA
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
existence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
fallen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
followed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I at any rate found it so.
girlhood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
history
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
leastnounUS /least/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
live
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
living
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
ordinary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
Oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
problem
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
rate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I at any rate found it so.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
simulated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I at any rate found it so.
story
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
sympathy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ought I to have heard her story with sympathy, or at least, with simulated sympathy?
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
unconscious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
unnatural
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was I unnatural that I had not fallen into her arms?
unrealizable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
wholly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To live through childhood and girlhood wholly unconscious of the existence of a living mother, and then to find her like this, with such a history, was altogether a bewildering and unrealizable thing.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading MY DILEMMA It seemed to me during the days that followed that I was confronted with a problem of more than ordinary complexity.
