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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 For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
Agency
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
all
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
Armstrong
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
artists
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
away
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
bitter
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
desk
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
Detective
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
dignity
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
distinguished
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
Dorns
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
down
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
eye
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
famous
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
fateful
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
features
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
folk
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
generation
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
hard-eyed
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
hard-jawed
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
head
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
husks
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
illusions
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
inscribed
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From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
Late
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
man
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From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
men
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
merely
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From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
perceived
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
pictured
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
pictures
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From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
pretense
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
princes
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From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
protected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
realities
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From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
Robert
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
samenounUS /same/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
sat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
savednounUS /saved/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
served
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
Some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
story
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
stripped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Some of them he had protected, some of them he had saved, some of them he had merely served.
ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
toldnounUS /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
walks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
walls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
wealth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the walls around looked down the pictured features of princes and artists, men of wealth or dignity, distinguished folk in all walks of life.
Wednesday
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Late in the afternoon of this same fateful Wednesday, Armstrong sat across the desk from that hard-jawed, hard-eyed old man, head of the Dorns Detective Agency, and told his story.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These pictures were inscribed to the hard-eyed old man behind the desk--Robert Dorns.
whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading For this man, whose name had been famous for a generation past, life had no illusions whatever; the husks of pretense were stripped away before that bitter eye of his, and he perceived only realities.
