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 I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
acutely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
AGAINnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading MOUNTED AGAIN.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
apart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
banners
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
became
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
boot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
busy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
calf
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
clean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
clouds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
conscious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
cottonwood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
coulee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
disabling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
drove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
events
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
fallen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
followed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
future
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
guessing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
haphazard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
hundred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
hung
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
invisible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
lacked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
leg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
less
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
light-obscuring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
limb
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
MacRae
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
march
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
mechanically
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
mental
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
mindnounUS /mind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
MOUNTED
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MOUNTED AGAIN.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
necessity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
pain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/
the main matter or purpose being discussed
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
projecting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
quick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
semi-detachment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
sky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
stealthy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
Striding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
stumbled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
thick-piled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
Three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
tripped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
turning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
upper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I followed behind MacRae more or less mechanically, though I was, in a way, acutely conscious of the necessity for stealthy going, one part of my mind busy turning over the quick march of events and guessing haphazard at the future.
WepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We stumbled along, close up, for the thick-piled clouds still hung their light-obscuring banners over the sky.
wound
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Striding along in this mental semi-detachment from the business in hand, some three hundred yards down the coulee I tripped over a fallen cottonwood and drove the point of a projecting limb clean through the upper of my boot and into the calf of my leg--not a disabling wound, but one that lacked nothing in the way of pain.
yards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three yards apart we became invisible to each other.
