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 Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
Alleyne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
begging
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
besidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
blessed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
bone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
bread
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
brown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
buy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
curse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
death
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
direction
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
dolorous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
escape
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
evangelists
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
four
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
friar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
friars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
give
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
groat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
habit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
half-gnawed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
horsemen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
howled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
impending
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
imploring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
journeying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
kingdom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
larger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
learned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
less
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
liar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
lie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
limping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
love
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
mendicant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
met
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
monks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
mules
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
mutton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
overtaken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
pack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
passednounUS /passed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
populous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
pouch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
prove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
roads
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
samenounUS /same/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/
except for; apart from
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
scarceadjectiveUS /skɛrs/
hard to find or in short supply
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
single
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
sticking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
strings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
swiftly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
towns
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
travelled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
voice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
wandering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alleyne passed him swiftly by, for he had learned from the monks to have no love for the wandering friars, and, besides, there was a great half-gnawed mutton bone sticking out of his pouch to prove him a liar.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
wayfarers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Swiftly as he went, however, he could not escape the curse of the four blessed evangelists which the mendicant howled behind him.
wherewith
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once a begging friar came limping along in a brown habit, imploring in a most dolorous voice to give him a single groat to buy bread wherewith to save himself from impending death.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The road along which he travelled was scarce as populous as most other roads in the kingdom, and far less so than those which lie between the larger towns.
YetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet from time to time Alleyne met other wayfarers, and more than once was overtaken by strings of pack mules and horsemen journeying in the same direction as himself.
