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 They had a little human being of some sort.
abruptly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
act
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
boy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
casually
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From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
child's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
dark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
destroy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
ExceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/
apart from; not including
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
human
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
locked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
looknounUS /look/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
mat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
necktie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
piece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
scaled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
shiny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
size
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had a little human being of some sort.
started
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
stupid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
suit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Except this was a man, scaled down to child's size.
tired
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
trying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
ugly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
used
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
waiting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The things abruptly started their business, trying to act casually as if they hadn't been waiting for me to look at them at all.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
welcome
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was the size of a small boy, like the small boy who looked like me that they used to destroy when I was locked up with them in the dark.
wore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
worried
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had sort of an ugly, worried, tired, stupid look and he wore a shiny suit with a piece of a welcome mat or something for a necktie.
