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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 chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
ashesnounUS /ˈæʃ.ɪz/
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
assure
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
burnt
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From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
busied
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
chair
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
chillyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪli/
unpleasantly cold
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
cold
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From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
companion
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
dank
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From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
depart
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
donenounUS /done/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
down
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
drenched
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From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
dress
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From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
effort
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
fanned
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
finenounUS /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
fire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
footnounUS /foot/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
glanced
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
half-extinguished
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
hard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
hat
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From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
hours
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
jaws
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
low
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
making
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From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
noon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
pains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
parlour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
placed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
previous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
quiet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
rained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
raked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
rattled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
reason
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
remaining
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
shivered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
shoulder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning, but since noon it had been fine.
stooping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
strange
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder, as though to assure himself of her remaining quiet and making no effort to depart; and that done, busied himself about the fire again.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
wet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.
widow's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a chilly night, and the fire in the widow’s parlour had burnt low.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Her strange companion placed her in a chair, and stooping down before the half-extinguished ashes, raked them together and fanned them with his hat.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It was not without reason that he took these pains, for his dress was dank and drenched with wet, his jaws rattled with cold, and he shivered from head to foot.