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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 |It was a sultry night.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
air
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From this reading Not a breath of air was stirring.
all
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From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
boat
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From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
breath
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From this reading Not a breath of air was stirring.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
caught
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From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
Chinese
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From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
confusing
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From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
crowd
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From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
dark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
escaped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
faces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
fell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
gaily
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From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
glarenounUS /glare/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
hung
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
invisible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading |It was a sultry night.
lake
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
lanterns
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From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
lights
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
making
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading |It was a sultry night.
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a breath of air was stirring.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
objects
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From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not a breath of air was stirring.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
phantasmagoria
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From this reading Their eyes caught nothing but a phantasmagoria of coloured lights.
quays
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
rowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
stirring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not a breath of air was stirring.
sultry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading |It was a sultry night.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
view
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glare fell on their faces, confusing their view, and making all dark objects around them invisible.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading |It was a sultry night.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had escaped from the crowd on the quays and were being rowed about the lake in a little boat gaily hung with Chinese lanterns.