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 As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
advanced
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From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
attitude
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From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
back
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From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
became
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
chin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
convulsion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
doorway
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
dreadfuladjectiveUS /ˈdrɛdfəl/
extremely frightening or unpleasant
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
entered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
evernounUS /ever/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
expectancy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
falling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
febrile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
fixed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
framed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
glancing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
glarenounUS /glare/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
hall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
Holt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
kind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
lean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
middle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
motionless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
outsidenounUS /ˈoutside/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
paused
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sydney paused, and watched.
raised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/
except for; apart from
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
seized
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
spasm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
speak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
Sydney
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
thrown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
upwards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
watched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sydney paused, and watched.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading He stood in an attitude of febrile expectancy,--his chin raised, his head thrown back, his eyes glancing upwards,--with the dreadful fixed glare which had come into them ever since we had entered the house.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The spasm went as suddenly as it came,--Mr Holt became as motionless as he had just now been the other way.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I was standing in the middle of the room, Sydney was between the door and me; Mr Holt was in the hall, just outside the doorway, in which he, so to speak, was framed.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading As Sydney advanced towards him he was seized with a kind of convulsion,--he had to lean against the side of the door to save himself from falling.
