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 Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
Alice
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From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
all
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From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
always
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From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
better
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
covered
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From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
crowds
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From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
fear
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From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
feet
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From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
fell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
fill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
foot-soldiers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
forest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
four
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
got
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
ground
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
heaps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
horse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
horses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then came the horses.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
instantly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
managed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/
a particular point in time
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
nextadjectiveUS /nekst/
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
off
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
rather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
regular
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
rider
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
rule
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
run
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
runningnounUS /ˈrunning/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
several
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
soldiersnounUS /ˈsoʊldʒərz/
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
soon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
stumbled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
ten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Having four feet, these managed rather better than the foot-soldiers: but even _they_ stumbled now and then; and it seemed to be a regular rule that, whenever a horse stumbled the rider fell off instantly.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
threes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
tree
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
tripping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
twos
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
uncertain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
watched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice got behind a tree, for fear of being run over, and watched them go by.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
wheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/
at any time that; every time that
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading She thought that in all her life she had never seen soldiers so uncertain on their feet: they were always tripping over something or other, and whenever one went down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with little heaps of men.
wood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next moment soldiers came running through the wood, at first in twos and threes, then ten or twenty together, and at last in such crowds that they seemed to fill the whole forest.