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 Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
accurate
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
austerity
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From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
Author
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
babies
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
banished
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From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
booksnounUS /bʊks/
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
Boston
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From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
bronze
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From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
cast
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From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
commanding
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
Donatello
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From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
drawing-room
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From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
earnest
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
empty
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From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
etc
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
faces
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
filled
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From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
finenounUS /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
Franklin
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
French
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
German
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
Girl
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
heads
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
holding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
hung
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
idea
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From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
Kane
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
LittlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
mantelpiece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
mothers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
nearly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
oils
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From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
out
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From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
painted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
painter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
pale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
photographs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
portrait
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
rather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
roses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
rows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
shelvesnounUS /ʃelvz/
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
sitting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
sleek
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
smooth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
Tante
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From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
temperature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
Three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
tropical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
undecorated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
uniform
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
vases
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
wall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a room rather empty and undecorated, but the idea of austerity was banished by a temperature so nearly tropical.
well-known
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
windows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
Winslow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of 'The Little French Girl,' 'Franklin Winslow Kane,' 'Tante,' etc.
wintry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three people were sitting in a small drawing-room, the windows of which looked out upon a wintry Boston street.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading There were rows of books on white shelves, a pale Donatello cast on the wall, and two fine bronze vases filled with roses on the mantelpiece.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the roses hung a portrait in oils, very sleek and very accurate, of a commanding old gentleman in uniform, painted by a well-known German painter, and all about the room were photographs of young women, most of them young mothers, with smooth heads and earnest faces, holding babies.
