adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
BanksnounUS /bæŋks/
English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
bowedadjectiveUS /baʊd/
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
Bullitt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
carnounUS /kɑːr/
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
citiesnounUS /ˈsɪtiz/
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
coloredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərd/
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
comeverbUS /kʌm/
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
DearadjectiveUS /dɪr/
dearly loved
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
faradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
Flopit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
gentleadjectiveUS /ˈdʒentəl/
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
hand-bag
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
handsnounUS /hændz/
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
HeavennounUS /ˈhevən/
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
Joe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
Johnnie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/
and nothing more
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/
a particular point in time
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
NowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What of that, NOW?
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
Parcher
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
pearlnounUS /pɜːrl/
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
porternounUS /ˈpɔːrtər/
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading Now a porter had her hand-bag.
ranverbUS /ræn/
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
simpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
stepsnounUS /steps/
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What of that, NOW?
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
WallacenounUS /ˈwɔːləs/
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
WatsonnounUS /ˈwɑːtsən/
United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What of that, NOW?
whenceadverbUS /wens/
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
whisperedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪspərd/
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Just to be a simple porter, and journey with her to the far, strange pearl among cities whence she had come!
wordnounUS /wɜːrd/
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The gentle porter bowed her toward the steps of his car; but first she gave Flopit into the hands of May Parcher, for a moment, and whispered a word to Wallace Banks; then to Joe Bullitt; then to Johnnie Watson;--then she ran to William.
yesnounUS /jes/
an affirmative
From this reading Dear Heaven! to be a porter--yes, a colored one!
