adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
AtheniannounUS /əˈθiːniən/
a resident of Athens
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
BecauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
beholdverbUS /bɪˈhoʊld/
see with attention
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
Cadmeian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
canmodal verbUS /kæn/
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
childnounUS /tʃaɪld/
a young person of either sex
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
cursenounUS /kɜːrs/
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
fallsnounUS /fɔːlz/
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
GodsnounUS /ɡɑːdz/
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
heartnounUS /hɑːrt/
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
Herodotus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
inscriptionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈskrɪpʃənz/
plural of “inscription” — letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
learnverbUS /lɜːrn/
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
manifestlyadverbUS /ˈmænəfestli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
MoreoveradverbUS /mɔːˈroʊvər/
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
NowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
poetnounUS /ˈpoʊət/
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
pretendsnounUS /priˈtendz/
plural of “pretend” — the enactment of a pretense
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
quoteverbUS /kwoʊt/
repeat a passage from
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
sawverbUS /sɔː/
cut with a saw
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
schoolnounUS /skuːl/
an educational institution
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
SophoclesnounUS /ˈsɑːfəkliz/
one of the great tragedians of ancient Greece (496-406 BC)
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
speaksverbUS /spiːks/
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
ThebesnounUS /θiːbz/
an ancient Egyptian city on the Nile River that flourished from the 22nd century BC to the 18th century BC; today the archeological remains include many splendid temples and tombs
From this reading For he pretends that he saw Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
tragediesnounUS /ˈtrædʒədiz/
plural of “tragedy” — an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
wentverbUS /went/
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Now behold,” he went on, “how the curse of the Gods falls upon Herodotus.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now I do not believe there were any Cadmeian inscriptions there: therefore Herodotus is most manifestly lying.
whompronounUS /huːm/
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
whynounUS /waɪ/
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Moreover, this Herodotus never speaks of Sophocles the Athenian, and why not?
writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Because he, being a child at school, did not learn Sophocles by heart: for the tragedies of Sophocles could not have been learned at school before they were written, nor can any man quote a poet whom he never learned at school.
