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 A POOR FIGURE.
air
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From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
all
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From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
bloodnounUS /blood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
collecting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
courage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
craving
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From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
danger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not struggle long.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
driven
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
earnest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
efforts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
exertion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
exhausted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
fate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
FIGURE
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From this reading A POOR FIGURE.
fortunately
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
frantic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
freeadjectiveUS /friː/
acting without enough restraint or discipline
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
gave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
get
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
horror
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I did not struggle long.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
inert
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
lie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I did not struggle long.
lungs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
minute
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not struggle long.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
panting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
POORnounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A POOR FIGURE.
shout
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
stifled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
striving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
struggle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I did not struggle long.
suffocate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
supreme
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was time I did.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I was in danger of being stifled in earnest, and knew it; but, fortunately, the horror of this fate, which a minute before had driven me to frantic efforts, now gave me the supreme courage to lie still, and, collecting myself, do all I could to get air.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The efforts I had made to free myself from the men, and this last exertion of striving to shout, brought the blood to my head; and so exhausted me that I lay inert, my heart panting as if it would suffocate me, and my lungs craving more air.
