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 BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
account
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
advantage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
afforded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
ardent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
arrival
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
BINNEY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
Christmas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
cry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the glad cry "Peter!"
delayed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
DINNER
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
early
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
embrace
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
exit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
fire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
GIVES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
glad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the glad cry "Peter!"
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
gratification
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
greeting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
Higginbotham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
history
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
lady
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
locked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
Martha
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
MEpronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ME.
momentous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
Mrs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
occasion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
opens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
ordernounUS /order/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
parlour-maid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
pay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
Peter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the glad cry "Peter!"
REBUFFnounUS /rɪˈbʌf/
an unkind refusal of a friendly offer or request
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
RECEIVES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
satisfy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
seated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
souls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
surprise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
town
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
unexpectedly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
vacation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
visit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BINNEY GIVES A DINNER AND RECEIVES A REBUFF Mr. Binney took advantage of his unexpectedly early arrival in town for the Christmas vacation to pay a surprise visit to Mrs. Higginbotham.
warmth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading "Martha!" these two ardent souls were locked in a close embrace, which afforded great gratification to themselves, and not a little to the parlour-maid, who had delayed her exit in order to satisfy herself as to the warmth of their greeting.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading He found that good lady seated by her drawing-room fire as on the occasion of that momentous visit with the account of which this history opens.
