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 If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
back
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
booksnounUS /bʊks/
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
car
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
chair-cars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
cities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
closed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
Coal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
Creek
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
east
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
hideous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
hillside
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
houses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
hovels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
Illinois
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
Iowa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
journeynounUS /ˈjourney/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
leaned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
middle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
mildly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
modern
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
necessity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
New
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
off
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
Ohio
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
passednounUS /passed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
People
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
Philadelphia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
prosperousadjectiveUS /ˈprɑspərəs/
successful and without serious problems
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
read
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
regretted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If they thought of the town at all they regretted it mildly and passed it off as a necessity of modern life.
scattered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
seeing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
town
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
towns
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The town of Coal Creek was hideous.
west
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
windows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
wished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In chair-cars men and women leaned back and closed their eyes.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
yawned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They yawned and wished the journey would come to an end.
York
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People from prosperous towns and cities of the middle west, from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, going east to New York or Philadelphia, looked out of the car windows and seeing the poor little houses scattered along the hillside thought of books they had read of life in hovels in the old world.
