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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 corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
announced
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
blind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It sounded, at length, but timidly.
cheerful
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From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
closed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
corn-dealers
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From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
door
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
easily
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
Easter-tide
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From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
entrance
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
guests
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
hearnounUS /hear/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
Hilliard
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From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
hoped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
knock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
lengthnounUS /leŋθ/
a period of time or extent
From this reading It sounded, at length, but timidly.
listening
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From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.
locked
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From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
optician
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
perceived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.
rooms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
sat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
shop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
sounded
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From this reading It sounded, at length, but timidly.
spendingnounUS /ˈspending/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
Sunday
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
surroundings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
timidly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It sounded, at length, but timidly.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
To-day
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From this reading To-day he had the house to himself.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
wife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The corn-dealers shop was closed, as on a Sunday; the optician and his blind wife had locked up their rooms and were spending Easter-tide, it might be hoped, amid more cheerful surroundings.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Hilliard sat with his door open, that he might easily hear the knock which announced his guests at the entrance below.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had he not been listening, he would not have perceived it.