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 The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
accord
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
Alps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
author
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
author's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
best-known
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
chosen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
civil-service
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
class
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
compare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
composed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
confined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
contained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
DE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
Deceased
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
discard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
dispositionnounUS /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/
the way something is arranged or positioned
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
editorial
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
exactly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
examination
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
full
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
Gravity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
grouped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
instance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
interest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
line
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
literary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
merit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
Negative
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
ordernounUS /order/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
particular
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
peculiar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
points
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
PRESS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
previous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
production
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
representative
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
selected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
Several
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
Sister
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
standard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
stories
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
story
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
suggested
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
Switzerland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
temporarily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Several of these stories have points of peculiar interest to the author.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
unreachable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
view
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
VINNE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
virtuenounUS /ˈvɝː.tʃuː/
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
volume
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading For instance, "Negative Gravity" was composed in Switzerland when the author was temporarily confined to the house in full view of unreachable Alps.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
Wife's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading "His Wife's Deceased Sister" was suggested by an editorial disposition to compare all the author's work with one previous production, and to discard everything which did not accord exactly with the particular story which had been selected as a standard of merit.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stories contained in this little volume were chosen, by virtue of a sort of literary civil-service examination, in order that they might be grouped together as a representative class of the author's best-known work in this line.
