adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
attendedadjectiveUS /əˈtendɪd/
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
brushedadjectiveUS /brʌʃt/
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
bureaunounUS /ˈbjʊroʊ/
an administrative unit of government
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
carpetingnounUS /ˈkɑːrpətɪŋ/
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
delayverbUS /dɪˈleɪ/
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
descendverbUS /dɪˈsend/
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
engagedadjectiveUS /enˈɡeɪdʒd/
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
figurenounUS /ˈfɪɡjər/
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
finallyadverbUS /ˈfaɪnəli/
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
hopingverbUS /ˈhoʊpɪŋ/
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
imposingadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpoʊzɪŋ/
impressive in appearance
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
leftnounUS /left/
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/
the literary culture
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
luggagenounUS /ˈlʌɡədʒ/
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
madamenounUS /ˈmædəm/
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
moment'snounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
momentarilyadverbUS /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/
for an instant or moment
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
monsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
NiceadjectiveUS /naɪs/
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
offadverbUS /ɔːf/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
onceadverbUS /wʌns/
on one occasion
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
orderedadjectiveUS /ˈɔːrdərd/
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
OwingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊɪŋ/
owed as a debt
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/
an organization to gain political power
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
precededverbUS /prɪˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
pressverbUS /pres/
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
roomnounUS /ruːm/
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
scoresnounUS /skɔːrz/
a large number or amount
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
sentnounUS /sent/
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
soughtadjectiveUS /sɔːt/
that is looked for
From this reading He engaged his room, ordered his luggage to be sent for, and finally inquired for the party he sought.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
stepsnounUS /steps/
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
timesnounUS /taɪmz/
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Her skirts must indeed have brushed the carpeting of those steps scores of times.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
visitorsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪtərz/
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Owing to a press of visitors there was a moment’s delay before he could be attended to at the bureau, and he turned to the large staircase that confronted him, momentarily hoping that her figure might descend.
wentverbUS /went/
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
whitheradverbUS /ˈwɪðər/
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading So off he went at once towards the imposing building whither his letters had preceded him.
yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/
the day immediately before today
From this reading ‘They left Nice yesterday, monsieur,’ replied madame.
