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 Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
abilities
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From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
affluence
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From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
almost
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
any
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From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
atrociousadjectiveUS /əˈtroʊʃəs/
shockingly wicked, cruel, or extremely bad
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
authority
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
blow
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From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
carried
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
conceptions
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From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
considerable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
crack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
crowd
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
delivered
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From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
depths
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
disappointed
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From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
disturbed
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From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
early
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From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
edifice
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From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
erect
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
failure
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From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
fired
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
fit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
front
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From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
head
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
humble
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
imagination
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
imposing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
individual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
injustice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
legal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
mean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
mere
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
natural
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
NextnounUS /next/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
origin
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From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
other
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From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
overtopped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
positions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
poverty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
pretend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
Professor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
really
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
rigidly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
rising
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
sheltering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
society
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
stand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
startling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
stature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
stoicismnounUS /ˈstoʊ.ɪ.sɪ.zəm/
An ancient Greek and Roman philosophy holding that virtue is the only true good, and that emotional self-control leads to inner serenity.
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
stroke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
stunted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
tales
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
telling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But that was mere feeling; the stoicism of his thought could not be disturbed by this or any other failure.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
turned
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From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
vain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
walked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of humble origin, and with an appearance really so mean as to stand in the way of his considerable natural abilities, his imagination had been fired early by the tales of men rising from the depths of poverty to positions of authority and affluence.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Professor had turned into a street to the left, and walked along, with his head carried rigidly erect, in a crowd whose every individual almost overtopped his stunted stature.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Next time, or the time after next, a telling stroke would be delivered—something really startling—a blow fit to open the first crack in the imposing front of the great edifice of legal conceptions sheltering the atrocious injustice of society.
