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 Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
any
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From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
assistant
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From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
baffled
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From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
boarding-house
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From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
branch
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From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
choice
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From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
college
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From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
combine
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From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
Dan
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From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
deal
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From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
deliberately
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From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
Dewey
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From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
elect
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From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
Elizabeth
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From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
energy
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From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
enlighten
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From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
evenings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
example
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From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
filled
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From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
GRAY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
hospitable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
hottest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
House
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
household
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
inferiors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
instruction
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
Kendall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
knowledge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
learning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
maintained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
male
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
meekly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
methods
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
often
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
opportunity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
overflowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
Pestalozzi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
preparation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
preposterous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
principles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
professorship
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
public
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
puzzled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
qualified
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
sad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
school
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
SISTERHOOD
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
spend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
steps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
submitting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
summer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
summers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
Sylvia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
Sylvia's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
teachers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
teaching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She was going to school to her inferiors, he maintained, submitting to instruction as meekly as though she were not qualified to enlighten her teachers in any branch of knowledge.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
veranda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
visitors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
warm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
wastenounUS /weɪst/
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading For example, this preparation for teaching in a public school when she might have had an assistant professorship in a college seemed a sad waste of energy and opportunity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sylvia's choice of a boarding-house had puzzled Dan a good deal, but there were a good many things about Sylvia that baffled him.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was preposterous that she should deliberately elect to spend the hottest of summers in learning to combine the principles of Pestalozzi with the methods of Dewey and Kendall.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAY SISTERHOOD Elizabeth House was hospitable to male visitors, and Dan found Sylvia there often on the warm, still summer evenings, when the young women of the household filled the veranda and overflowed upon the steps.
