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 His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
alloy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
ample
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
bond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
bringing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
circumstances
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
cynical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
element
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
experience
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
experiment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
foolnounUS /fool/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
girl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
gold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
ill-advised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
illusions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
lamentable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
large
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
makenounUS /make/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
matrimonial
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
opportunities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
pure
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
safeguard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
seamy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
second
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
shine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
struggle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was in poor circumstances, and life to her must be one of struggle.
sufficient
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
surroundings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
uppermost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the cynical element came uppermost.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
watching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was no fool, and had a large experience of the seamy side of life, which was sufficient to safeguard him from illusions.
why
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His experience of the matrimonial bond had been lamentable; why, then, should he be ill-advised enough to make a second experiment of it?
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet--and yet--he had had ample opportunities of watching this girl, and she had seemed to shine out as pure gold from the alloy of her surroundings and bringing up.
