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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 The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
alertly
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
astir
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
awake
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
bark-mill
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
Birt
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
bud
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
capable
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From this reading He felt eager, strong, capable.
clearing
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
deep
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
dense
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
despiteprepositionUS /dɪˈspaɪt/
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
despoliation
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
Dicey
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
eager
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From this reading He felt eager, strong, capable.
early
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/
apart from; not including
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
felt
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From this reading He felt eager, strong, capable.
forest
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
gradual
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
hardly
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
heart
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The spirit of progress was upon him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
industry
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
lay
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
like
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
midst
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
nestled
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
night
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From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The spirit of progress was upon him.
old
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
planning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
pondering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
progress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The spirit of progress was upon him.
showed
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
spirit
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From this reading The spirit of progress was upon him.
strong
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From this reading He felt eager, strong, capable.
tanyard
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Birt Dicey lay awake deep into the night, pondering and planning.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
trace
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
unwonted
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The spirit of progress was upon him.
verge
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.
vigil
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From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But despite this unwonted vigil the old bark-mill was early astir, and he went alertly about his work.
worm
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From this reading The tanyard lay in the midst of a forest so dense that, except at the verge of the clearing, it showed hardly a trace of its gradual despoliation by the industry that nestled in its heart like a worm in the bud.