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 weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
almost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
always
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
autumn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
back
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
cloudy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
coating
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
cold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
country
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
country-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
dragged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
family
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
finding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
friend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
governess
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
high
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
ice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
love
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
Macha
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
memoriesnounUS /ˈmɛm.ə.riz/
Recollections of past events.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
mourning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
often
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
panes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
piled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
Pokrovski
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
possible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
preceding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
rarely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
sad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
season
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
shut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
sister
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sonia was my younger sister.
snow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
sombre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski.
Sonia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
spent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
throughoutprepositionUS /θruːˈaʊt/
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
WepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
weather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
windows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
windy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
winter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country--Macha, Sonia and I.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house.
younger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sonia was my younger sister.
