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 SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
alder-shadow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
also
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
always
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
autumn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
beat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
BeyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
brook
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
brown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
cabins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
carpenter's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
cascade
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
chickweed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
chinks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
choked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
cool
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
deep-channeled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
delta
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
descendednounUS /ˈdescended/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
dying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
environs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
exposedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspəʊzd/
left open to danger or view left open to danger or public view
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
extremities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
factory
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
fairy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
fallen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
falls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
feebly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
few
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
flashed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
floor-boards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
foam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
foreshore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
gloomy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
Gray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
half-dozen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
halt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
hearthstones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
heartyadjectiveUS /ˈhɑrti/
large, enthusiastic, and satisfying, especially of a meal
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
houses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
intimacy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
Kilmarnock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
knot-holes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
littered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
MAN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
melodrama
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
mill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
mounting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
mud-flats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
noises
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
post-office
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
purposes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
ragged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
retreated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
rivulets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
roaring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
roof
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
rooms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
sad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
SAFFRON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
sat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
scar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
seaweed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
shed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
shop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
slackenverbUS /ˈslækən/
to become less tight or less strong
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
slowly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
snow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
stage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
stairs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
sunken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
talking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
tumbled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
unacted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
underneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
vaguely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
vanished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
vibrate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
vile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
village
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
wall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
wallpaper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
warmth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SAFFRON MAN As warmth in a dying man, so life in the village of Kilmarnock had retreated from the extremities.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
weather-silvered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And here, where fairy falls descended to that vile foreshore, the heart of the village beat feebly in a half-dozen houses, weather-silvered.
wheel-wright's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
whiteness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
window
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
winter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
woolen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the post-office,--a littered, gloomy shed which was also carpenter’s shop, wheel-wright’s factory, and woolen mill,--a few sad old men sat always, talking slowly and vaguely; while underneath, the roaring brook made the floor-boards vibrate, and flashed through chinks and knot-holes the whiteness of cascade foam.
wriggle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond these dead environs, a brook, with cool and hearty noises, tumbled out of its brown alder-shadow to halt, slacken, and wriggle in a delta of deep-channeled rivulets through seaweed and long mud-flats.
yawning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.
zigzag
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gray cabins stood for the most part with sunken roof and yawning window; here and there, where a wall had fallen out, they exposed, as for the stage purposes of some unacted melodrama, the intimacy of all their little rooms at once,--the ragged wallpaper, the zigzag mounting scar of stairs long vanished, the hearthstones choked, in winter with snow, as now with autumn chickweed.