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 Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
account
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
busy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
comfortably
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
comprehend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
concluded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
considering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
contract
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
convey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
customary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
cut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
days
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
descriptions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
desert
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
deserts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
difficulty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
dismal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
dreary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
drove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
eight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
exhausting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
ground
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
happened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
hardest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
hauled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
heaviest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
home
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
hundred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
ink
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
journeynounUS /ˈjourney/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
makenounUS /make/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
matters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
mean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
melancholy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
mightiest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
miles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
Mormons
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
mountain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
mountains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
natural
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
needful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
nine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
notion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
overboardadverbUS /ˈoʊvərbɔːrd/
from a ship into the water
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
ox
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
pen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
person
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
poles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
possible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
reader
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
reality
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
road-side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
rugged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
snowy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
Street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
Street's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
sub-let
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
suddennounUS /sudden/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
teams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
telegraphic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
threw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
tranquilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
traverse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
treeless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
turned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
undertakingnounUS /ˌʌndərˈteɪkɪŋ/
a serious task, project, or venture that someone agrees to do
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
uninhabited
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
UntoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/
an old word for “to”
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
vague
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
vast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
water
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not go comfortably along and cut his poles by the road-side, either, but they had to be hauled by ox teams across those exhausting deserts--and it was two days' journey from water to water, in one or two of them.
waterless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading Unto Mormons he had sub-let the hardest and heaviest half of his great undertaking, and all of a sudden they concluded that they were going to make little or nothing, and so they tranquilly threw their poles overboard in mountain or desert, just as it happened when they took the notion, and drove home and went about their customary business!
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And after all, Mr. S.'s mightiest difficulty turned out to be one which he had never taken into the account at all.
wire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Street was very busy with his telegraphic matters--and considering that he had eight or nine hundred miles of rugged, snowy, uninhabited mountains, and waterless, treeless, melancholy deserts to traverse with his wire, it was natural and needful that he should be as busy as possible.
words
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Mr. Street's contract was a vast work, every way one looked at it; and yet to comprehend what the vague words "eight hundred miles of rugged mountains and dismal deserts" mean, one must go over the ground in person--pen and ink descriptions cannot convey the dreary reality to the reader.
