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 If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
arrive
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
ATprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE CURATE AT HOME.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
become
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
begun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
bornnounUS /born/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
butterfly
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From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
called
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
caterpillar
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From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
certain
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From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
change
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
changes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
chaotic
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From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
commenced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
condition
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
consequence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
crude
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
CURATE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CURATE AT HOME.
directions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
electricity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
fairnounUS /fair/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
feelings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
felt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
fish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
flashes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
floated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
flower
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
fluid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
foreknow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
forms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
gnawing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
HOME
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From this reading THE CURATE AT HOME.
hovering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
idea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
indeed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
intermittent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
leaf
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
marvellous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
mass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
mean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
mental
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
moral
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
northern
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
occurred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
ocean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
pass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
passing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
perfected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
potent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
potential
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
rainbow-winged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
recognise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
restless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
result
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
rose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
self
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
spiritual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
stinging
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
strange
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
strangelynounUS /ˈstrangely/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
swarmed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
symbol
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
temperature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CURATE AT HOME.
Thomas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
threatening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
tropical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
uncomfortable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
uncouth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
undergoing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
understandnounUS /understand/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
various
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A certain intermittent stinging, as if from the flashes of some moral electricity, had begun to pass in various directions through the crude and chaotic mass he called himself, and he felt strangely restless.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The spiritual fluid in which his being floated had become all at once more potent, and he was in consequence uncomfortable.
waters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
Wingfold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading If we could arrive at the feelings of a fish of the northern ocean around which the waters suddenly rose to tropical temperature, and swarmed with strange forms of life, uncouth and threatening, we should have a fair symbol of the mental condition in which Thomas Wingfold now found himself.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It never occurred to him--as how should it?--that he might have commenced undergoing the most marvellous of all changes,--one so marvellous, indeed, that for a man to foreknow its result or understand what he was passing through, would be more strange than that a caterpillar should recognise in the rainbow-winged butterfly hovering over the flower at whose leaf he was gnawing, the perfected idea of his own potential self--I mean the change of being born again.
