adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
alphabetnounUS /ˈælfəbet/
a character set that includes letters and is used to write a language
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
authornounUS /ˈɔːθər/
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
authorsnounUS /ˈɔːθərz/
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
bards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
cadencenounUS /ˈkeɪdəns/
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
canmodal verbUS /kæn/
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
caredverbUS /kerd/
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
child'snounUS /tʃaɪldz/
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
doted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/
any strong feeling
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
emptyverbUS /ˈempti/
make void or empty of contents
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
everadverbUS /ˈevər/
at any time
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
exclusiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈskluːsɪv/
not divided or shared with others
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
exoticadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɑːtɪk/
being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
favouritenounUS /ˈfeɪvərɪt/
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
genuineadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenjəwən/
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
hairnounUS /her/
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
headnounUS /hed/
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
honestadjectiveUS /ˈɑːnəst/
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
intellectnounUS /ˈɪntəlekt/
knowledge and intellectual ability
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
KeatsnounUS /kiːts/
Englishman and romantic poet (1795-1821)
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
knowverbUS /noʊ/
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
languagenounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/
the literary culture
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/
held dear
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
movingadjectiveUS /ˈmuːvɪŋ/
in motion
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
nearlyadverbUS /ˈnɪrli/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
nonepronounUS /nʌn/
not one, and not any
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
novelsnounUS /ˈnɑːvəlz/
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
offerverbUS /ˈɔːfər/
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
readverbUS /red/
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/
To recall to mind.
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
richnessnounUS /ˈrɪtʃnəs/
the property of being extremely abundant
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
romancenounUS /roʊˈmæns/
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
romanticadjectiveUS /roʊˈmæntɪk/
belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
RossettinounUS /roʊˈseti/
English poet and painter who was a leader of the Pre-Raphaelites (1828-1882)
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
sensenounUS /sens/
a general conscious awareness
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
ShelleynounUS /ˈʃeli/
English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
sirnounUS /sɜːr/
term of address for a man
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
tasteverbUS /teɪst/
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
tookverbUS /tʊk/
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
understoodadjectiveUS /ˌʌndərˈstʊd/
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
unexpectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/
not expected or anticipated
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
vagueadjectiveUS /veɪɡ/
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
vainadjectiveUS /veɪn/
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/
precisely as stated
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Keats—John Keats, sir—and Shelley were his favourite bards.
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading His honest head was very nearly empty, his intellect like a child’s; and when he read his favourite authors, he can almost never have understood what he was reading.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading I cannot remember if I tried him with Rossetti; but I know his taste to a hair, and if ever I did, he must have doted on that author.
wordnounUS /wɜːrd/
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading What took him was a richness in the speech; he loved the exotic, the unexpected word; the moving cadence of a phrase; a vague sense of emotion (about nothing) in the very letters of the alphabet: the romance of language.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
YetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet the taste was not only genuine, it was exclusive; I tried in vain to offer him novels; he would none of them, he cared for nothing but romantic language that he could not understand.
