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 I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
AndeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
bad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
bananas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
become
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
boys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
confidence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
described
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
detail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
East
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
End
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
failure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
firm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
friends
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
fruit-stand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
great
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
henounUS /ˈhe/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
hearing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
insolvent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
interested
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
Italian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
joint
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
Man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
much
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
proprietors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
proved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
right
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
season
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
situation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
story
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
sufferers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man of the World and I had become great friends, and he had taken me into his confidence.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
thinking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
tiny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
told
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
unexpected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
warm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
weather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexpected season of warm weather had proved bad for bananas, and the firm was insolvent.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The sufferers were two very tiny Italian boys, joint proprietors of a fruit-stand.
World
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I told the Man of the World the story of a business failure in the East End.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I was right in thinking that the Man of the World would be interested in hearing of this, and I described the situation to him in much detail.
