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 passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
appeared
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
arch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
archway
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
attempt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
bad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
balustrade
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
broad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
comfort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
corridor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
decoration
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
delicately
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
Dick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
ended
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
entrance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
expected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
eye
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
failure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
flight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
floor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
forced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
furniture
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
girl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
hall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
harmony
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
hide
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
landing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
larger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
money
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
mounted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
passagenounUS /ˈpassage/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
pretentious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
projection
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
rails
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
single
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
spent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The attempt at an appearance of comfort was a failure, but money had been spent, and a sort of bad harmony between furniture and decoration forced itself upon the eye.
square
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
staircase
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The staircase mounted in a single broad flight from the floor of an entrance hall larger and more pretentious than he had expected.
STAIRS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STAIRS.
stepped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STAIRS.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The passage ended in an arch, beyond which appeared a balustrade.
wider
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corridor was wider than the archway; and Dick, having made the girl hide behind its projection, stepped delicately out upon the square landing, and looked over the rails.