adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
abruptlyadverbUS /əˈbrʌptli/
quickly and without warning
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
accustomedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌstəmd/
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/
anew
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
askedverbUS /æskt/
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
backadverbUS /bæk/
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
chairnounUS /tʃer/
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
chordsnounUS /kɔːrdz/
plural of “chord” — a straight line connecting two points on a curve
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
emptyverbUS /ˈempti/
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
glancedverbUS /ɡlænst/
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
hastenedverbUS /ˈheɪsənd/
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
melodiesnounUS /ˈmelədiz/
plural of “melody” — a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
Mozart'snounUS /ˈmoʊzɑːrts/
possessive form of “mozart” — prolific Austrian composer and child prodigy; master of the classical style in all its forms of his time (1756-1791)
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
nearadverbUS /nɪr/
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
nervouslyadverbUS /ˈnɜːrvəsli/
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
occupyverbUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪ/
keep busy with
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
placenounUS /pleɪs/
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
playverbUS /pleɪ/
participate in games or sport
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
roundnounUS /raʊnd/
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
Shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
spokenounUS /spoʊk/
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
stoodverbUS /stʊd/
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The chair near it, which I had always been accustomed to occupy, stood empty.
struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
takeverbUS /teɪk/
carry out
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
thankverbUS /θæŋk/
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Before I could thank her she hastened to the piano.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She struck a few chords—then glanced round at me—then looked back again at her music.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
tonesnounUS /toʊnz/
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/
precisely as stated
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
Won't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Shall I play some of those little melodies of Mozart’s which you used to like so much?” she asked, opening the music nervously, and looking down at it while she spoke.
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Won’t you take your old place?” she said, speaking very abruptly and in very low tones.
