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 It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
achieve
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From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
all
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From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
assumed
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From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
attendance
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
barber
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From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
blessed
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From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
boy
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
BUSINESS
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From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
care
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
charged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
dutynounUS /ˈduːti/
a responsibility that must be carried out
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
EachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
easier
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From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
entire
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
expected
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From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
expenses
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
fail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
family
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From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
fifteen
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From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
girl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
helpless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
invalid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
Leo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
Maggie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
Maggimore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
medical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
MOUSE
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From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
much
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From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
nursing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
person
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
providing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
sick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
takenounUS /take/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
task
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
wants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
