Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
1887
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
appreciated
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From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
begin
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
blue
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From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
building
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
carpentry
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From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
climbed
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
companions
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From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
crisp
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
crude
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From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
department
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From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
desk
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
dignity
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From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
early
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
editorship
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From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
evening
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
flights
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
floor
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
fourthnounUS /fourth/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
humblest
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From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
importance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
Important
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From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
irreverently
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From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
making
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From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
March
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
MydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
news
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
newspaper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
novel
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From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
old
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From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
pencil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
piece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
Press
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
rank
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
rickety
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
second
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
shelfnounUS /ʃelf/
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
stairs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
stepnounUS /step/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
telegraph
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
termed
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From this reading My companions of the blue pencil irreverently termed it “the shelf.”
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was my second night in the novel dignity of editorship.
ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though my rank was the humblest, I appreciated the importance of a first step from “the street.”
three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Important as the telegraph department was in making the newspaper, the desk was a crude piece of carpentry.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One crisp evening early in March, 1887, I climbed the three flights of rickety stairs to the fourth floor of the old “Press” building to begin work on the “news desk.”
