adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
afflictedadjectiveUS /əˈflɪktɪd/
grievously affected especially by disease
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
apartmentsnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənts/
plural of “apartment” — a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
auntnounUS /ænt/
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
auntsnounUS /ænts/
plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
booksnounUS /bʊks/
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
boxnounUS /bɑːks/
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
catechisms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
centrenounUS /ˈsentər/
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/
gotten under control
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
diedverbUS /daɪd/
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
ennuinounUS /eˈnuːi/
the feeling of being bored by something tedious
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
foundverbUS /faʊnd/
set up or found
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
heirsnounUS /erz/
plural of “heir” — a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
inheritedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈherətɪd/
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
LouisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
mustyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌsti/
covered with or smelling of mold
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
numbernounUS /ˈnʌmbər/
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
partnounUS /pɑːrt/
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
piousadjectiveUS /ˈpaɪəs/
having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
readverbUS /red/
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
returningadjectiveUS /rɪˈtɜːrnɪŋ/
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
romancesnounUS /roʊˈmænsɪz/
plural of “romance” — a relationship between two lovers
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
roomnounUS /ruːm/
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
speakverbUS /spiːk/
express in speech
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The box contained, among other things, a number of musty old books.
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
UponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Upon returning to my apartments I found a large box in the centre of the room.
vicenounUS /vaɪs/
moral weakness
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One of my aunts had died, and I was one of the heirs to her fortune, which was not large.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Not knowing what to do, and being afflicted with ennui, I began to read one of them.
XVnoun
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading They were for the most part romances of the time of Louis XV; my pious aunt had probably inherited them herself and never read them, for they were, so to speak, catechisms of vice.
