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 ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
abruptly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
appointed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
arrived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
attitude
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
change
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
coincided
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From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
commonplace
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
company
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
Dieu
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
dormant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
dull
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
dullness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
ears
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
extraordinary
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From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
husky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
immobility
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
incalculable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
kept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
majority
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
makes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
moderate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
Mon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
passes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
passively
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
Perhaps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
pronounced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
remark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
shut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
speak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
state
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
submitted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
supportable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
thoughts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
utterance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
vision
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
voice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kept him company; and suddenly, but not abruptly, as if the appointed time had arrived for his moderate and husky voice to come out of his immobility, he pronounced, “Mon Dieu! how the time passes!”
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It’s extraordinary how we go through life with eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dormant thoughts.
welcome
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Nothing could have been more commonplace than this remark; but its utterance coincided for me with a moment of vision.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
words
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘After these words, and without a change of attitude, he, so to speak, submitted himself passively to a state of silence.
