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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 I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
always
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
Atkins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
balls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
cages
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From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
chains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
contraption
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I mean something that was like something folks could use.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
fix
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
folks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I mean something that was like something folks could use.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
home
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
invented
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He kind of invented things that way.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
jack-knife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
kind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
making
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
maybe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
mean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I mean something that was like something folks could use.
minute
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
piece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
somewhere
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
spare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
suit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
toldnounUS /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
use
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I mean something that was like something folks could use.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He kind of invented things that way.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
whittle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn’t just whittle out chains, or balls in cages, and things like that, but he always made _something_.
whittler
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
wire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading I don’t know whether I told what a great whittler Mr. Atkins was, and how, every spare minute, he was making some kind of a contraption with his jack-knife and maybe a piece of wire or something.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If he saw something somewhere that didn’t just work to suit him, he would go home and whittle one out and fix it up so it _would_ work.
