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 With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
advertising
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From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
ahead
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
appeared
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
big
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
burglarnounUS /ˈbɝː.ɡlɚ/
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
canvassing
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From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
chances
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From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
closed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
coincidence
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From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
convinced
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From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
entered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
evernounUS /ever/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
floor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
forced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
gave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
general
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From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
go
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From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
keeping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
marked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
merchandise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
money
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
month
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
necessity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
opening-up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
owners
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
packed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
pegged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
piece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
placed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
places
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
pocket
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
promising
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
roof
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
safe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
satisfied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/
except for; apart from
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/
brief or direct in expression
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
silver
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
space
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
spot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
stairs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
store
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
strange
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
takenounUS /take/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
thorough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
tillprepositionUS /tɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
town
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I found many places that appeared to be advertising for a burglar, and the most promising was the big general store.
week
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I “pegged” the spot for a week and satisfied myself that after the store was closed at night no one entered it till opening-up time in the morning.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading It was packed to the roof with merchandise, and the owners, to save floor space, had placed the safe behind stairs, where it could not be seen from the street.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
worth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With enough in my pocket now to last me a month, I gave the town a thorough canvassing for something worth while.
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This strange coincidence of the marked piece of silver more than ever convinced me of the necessity for keeping something ahead so I wouldn’t be forced to go out and take long chances for short money.
