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 He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
accepted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
afford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
attempt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
avoiding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
big
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
clearly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
coercion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.
definitely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
entirelynounUS /ˈentirely/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.
family
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
fortunenounUS /ˈfortune/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
Jennie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
late
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
leastnounUS /least/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
leave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
Lester
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
lose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
married
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
mess
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
mistake
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
money
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
opposition
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
proposition
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
realized
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
scandal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
second
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jennie was unhappy, he could see that.
set
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
thus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
unhappy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jennie was unhappy, he could see that.
wanted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
ways
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.
