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AdeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.
absence
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
affected
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From this reading But his surprise affected him but for an instant.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
AGAINSTprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.
almost
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But his surprise affected him but for an instant.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
belonging
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
boat
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
brief
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his surprise affected him but for an instant.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
Clif
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
decided
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
enemies
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
fallen
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
find
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
flagship
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
full
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
given
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
instant
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
looknounUS /look/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
manned
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
natural
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
ODDS
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From this reading A STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
peril
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
position
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
possibility
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
protracted
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From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
recognized
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
sent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
shock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
soon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
Spaniards
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
startlingly
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
STRUGGLE
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From this reading A STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.
surprise
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From this reading But his surprise affected him but for an instant.
suspected
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From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
unarmednounUS /ˈunarmed/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
unexpected
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
unnerved
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From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed natural that a boat should be sent to look for them after their protracted absence, and it was a decided shock to find that he had fallen, alone and unarmed, in the way of his enemies.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The position in which Clif found himself was so startlingly unexpected and so full of peril that for a brief instant it almost unnerved him.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had he suspected the possibility of the boat being manned by Spaniards, he would have given up the thought as soon as he recognized it as one belonging to the flagship.