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 I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
anothernounUS /ˈanother/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
askednounUS /asked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
boy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Gregson’s boy”!
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
conclusion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
cry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
deliberately
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
evening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
events
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
falsehood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
few
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
fingers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
Gregson's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Gregson’s boy”!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
handsplural nounUS /hændz/
members of a ship’s crew
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
Laurence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
Laurence's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
means
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
meant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
meeting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
prevented
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
ready
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
rested
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
ring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
Sarah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
sat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
schoolroom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
sending
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
soon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
tears
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I sat down by the table as soon as Sarah had left the schoolroom, and rested my head in my hands.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
trickled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
want
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
wanted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was only one conclusion to come to: Sarah had deliberately prevented my meeting him.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I did not want to cry, though a few tears trickled down between my fingers at the thought that I should not see Laurence again before he went away; but I wanted to put the events of the evening together and find out what they meant.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The ring I had heard had been Laurence’s; and, after sending him away by means of a falsehood, she had had another ready for me when I asked who it was.
