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 At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
astounding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as astounding as it was inexplicable.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
bolted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
bowing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
deliberately
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
endeavoured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
England
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
enter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
Fairfax
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
feather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
freeadjectiveUS /friː/
acting without enough restraint or discipline
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
get
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
goes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
GoodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
happened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
Hayle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
inexplicablenounUS /inexplicable/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was as astounding as it was inexplicable.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as astounding as it was inexplicable.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
knocked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
lion's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
London
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
mouth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
OfprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
off
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
ordernounUS /order/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
played
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
politely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
possibly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
putting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
saying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
scentnounUS /sɛnt/
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
searching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
seeking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
sorts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
spoke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good morning, Mr. Fairfax," he said, bowing most politely to me as he spoke.
surely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
tricks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
unexpected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of all that could possibly have happened, this was surely the most unexpected!
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading The man had endeavoured to get me out of his way in London, he had played all sorts of tricks upon me in order to put me off the scent, he had bolted from England because he knew I was searching for him, yet here he was deliberately seeking me out, and of his own free will putting his head into the lion's mouth.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At the moment that I saw Hayle enter my room, you might, as the saying goes, have knocked me down with a feather.
