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 Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
All
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
Almost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
begannounUS /began/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/
the two together, not just one
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
certain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
disappearednounUS /ˈdisappeared/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
Escape
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
fast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
fear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
feet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
finger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
following
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
grandmother's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
handful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
handsplural nounUS /hændz/
members of a ship’s crew
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
jumped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
kept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
laughing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
leave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
lift
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
mechanically
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
nextnounUS /next/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
poke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
princessnounUS /ˈprɪn.ses/
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
remove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
sobbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
sometimes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading By and by she began, still mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could.
stones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
taking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet.
thread
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
throw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
times
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
vanished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Escape As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones in which it disappeared.
