adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
archnounUS /ɑːrtʃ/
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
archedadjectiveUS /ɑːrtʃt/
constructed with or in the form of an arch or arches
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
boysnounUS /bɔɪz/
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
bricknounUS /brɪk/
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
desertedadjectiveUS /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
endnounUS /end/
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
facenounUS /feɪs/
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
flaggedverbUS /flæɡd/
inflected form of “flag” — communicate or signal with a flag
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
graveyardnounUS /ˈɡreɪvjɑːrd/
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
graynounUS /ɡreɪ/
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
Half-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
highadjectiveUS /haɪ/
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
Marco
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
newspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
numbernounUS /ˈnʌmbər/
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
passagenounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
playingnounUS /ˈpleɪɪŋ/
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
railingsnounUS /ˈreɪlɪŋz/
plural of “railing” — a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
restverbUS /rest/
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
shriller
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
shutverbUS /ʃʌt/
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
soundnounUS /saʊnd/
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
spacenounUS /speɪs/
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
streetnounUS /striːt/
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
street'snounUS /striːts/
possessive form of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
thinnernounUS /ˈθɪnər/
a diluting agent
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
throughprepositionUS /θruː/
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
trampedverbUS /træmpt/
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/
moved around an axis or center
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
venerableadjectiveUS /ˈvenərəbəl/
impressive by reason of age
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
voicesnounUS /ˈvɔɪsəz/
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
