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 The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
attempted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
awkward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
beetle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something wrong with the beetle.
beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
breath
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
Burl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
Burl's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
buzz
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
catching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
crash
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
ended
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
erratic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
fell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
finenounUS /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
flesh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
flight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
ground
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
half-waynounUS /half-way/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
headforemostadverbUS /ˈhɛdˌfɔːrmoʊst/
with the head leading the movement
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
huge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
hundreds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
impact
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
mushroom-stalk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
naked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
powdering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
prey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
restnounUS /rest/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
rocketing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
scream
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
second
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
Sexton-Beetles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
shoulder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something wrong with the beetle.
spear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
split
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
spongy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
spores
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
spot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
strucknounUS /struck/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
toadstool
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
upward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something wrong with the beetle.
whining
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he heard the whining buzz of his attempted prey.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Sexton-Beetles Burl fell headforemost upon the spongy top of a huge toadstool that split with the impact and let him through to the ground beneath, powdering him with its fine spores.
wrong
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something wrong with the beetle.
yards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl's spear had struck it in an awkward spot, and it was rocketing upward in erratic flight that ended in a crash two or three hundreds yards away.
yielding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came to rest with his naked shoulder half-way through the yielding flesh of a mushroom-stalk, and lay there for a second, catching his breath to scream again.
