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 He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
absurd
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From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
acted
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From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
altogether
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From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
aware
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
awkward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
begannounUS /began/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
belief
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/
next to; at the side of
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
Bolton
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From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
candid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
chivalry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
cold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
committed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
compromised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
corner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/
causing pain or showing no kindness
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
cynicism
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
data
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
Davies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
days
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From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
desertionnounUS /ˈdesertion/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
erroneous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
exterior
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
felt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
field
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
follynounUS /ˈfɑːli/
an action or decision that shows a lack of good judgment
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
girl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
Hawkesworth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
heartless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
Hervey
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From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
ill-defined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
instant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
knight-errant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
Lord
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
matter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
Northeys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
painfully
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
paused
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
Peterborough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
questionnounUS /ˈquestion/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
reserved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
role
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
Row
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
Sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
Sophia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
status
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
stayed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
stirred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
Street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/
for that reason; as a result
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
triflenounUS /ˈtraɪfəl/
something that needs very little effort
From this reading He felt, to be candid, a trifle awkward in the _role_ of knight-errant, a part reserved in those days for Lord Peterborough.
TUG
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
underlay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Northeys' heartless cynicism, and their instant and cruel desertion of the girl, had stirred the chivalry that underlay his cold exterior.
WAR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TUG OF WAR At the corner of Bolton Row Sir Hervey paused.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had taken the field in the belief that Sophia had not stayed in Davies Street; that Hawkesworth, therefore, was beside the question; and that whatever folly she had committed, she had not altogether compromised herself; he now found the data on which he had acted painfully erroneous.
worse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But from the first he had been aware that his status in the matter was ill-defined; he now began to see it in a worse, an absurd light.
