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 house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
age
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
all
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From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
century
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
clatter
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From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
crowds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
dial
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
dies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
eaves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
eighty
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From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
elm-bordered
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From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
elsewhere
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From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
garden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
greetings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
hard
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From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
Harvey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
hot-wheel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
house-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
hung
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
inhabited
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in the town, yet nothing town-like.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
kindliest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
leafage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
mellowness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
Mortons
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
motto
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
neighbours
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It was in the town, yet nothing town-like.
OfprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
older
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
porch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
praeterit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
ran
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
reached
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
Rolfe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
set
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
Sicut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
smirched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
smother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
sooty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
sounded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
streets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
town
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the town, yet nothing town-like.
town-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the town, yet nothing town-like.
traffic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
tramp
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooty smother hung above the house-tops and smirched the garden leafage; no tramp of crowds, no clatter of hot-wheel traffic, sounded from the streets hard by.
tranquillity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
umbra
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in the town, yet nothing town-like.
welcoming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sicut umbra praeterit dies'--so ran the motto of the dial set between porch and eaves; to Harvey Rolfe the kindliest of all greetings, welcoming him to such tranquillity as he knew not how to find elsewhere.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house had stood for a century and a half, and for eighty years had been inhabited by Mortons.
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Of its neighbours in the elm-bordered road, one or two were yet older; all had reached the age of mellowness.
