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 With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
anothernounUS /ˈanother/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
candor
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From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
capricious
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From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
character
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From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
days
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From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
dealt
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From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
earthly
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From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
exception
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From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
exist
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From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
extort
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From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
extraordinary
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From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
Fenton
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From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
fiction
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
firmness
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From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
grotesque
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From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
identity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
ingenuousness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
kept
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From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
known
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From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
lips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
maintain
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From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
moral
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/
difficult to explain or understand
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
origin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
pertinacity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
phases
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From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
power
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From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
presented
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
rodomontade
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From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
samenounUS /same/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
syllable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
temperament
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
truth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
unstable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never did there exist a being so capricious and unstable.
variety
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The character of Fenton was one that presented an extraordinary variety of phases.
week
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
weeks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
wildest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For whole days, if not for weeks together, he dealt in nothing but the wildest fiction, and the most extraordinary and grotesque rodomontade.
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the exception of the firmness and pertinacity with which he kept the mysterious secret of his origin and identity--that is, if he himself knew them, he was never known to maintain the same moral temperament for a week together.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At one time, you found him all ingenuousness and candor; at another, no earthly power could extort a syllable of truth from his lips.
