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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 But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
actual
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From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
admirable
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From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
altogether
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
aridity
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From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
brilliant
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
compositions
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From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
consciousness
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From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
dreariness
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
EARLY
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From this reading EARLY MANHOOD.
effect
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From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
eventually
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From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
followed
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
happiest
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
Hawthorne's
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
impression
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From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
incubation
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From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
indeed
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
late
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
Lathrop
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From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
letters
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From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
lost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
man
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From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
MANHOOD
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From this reading EARLY MANHOOD.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
most
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
Mr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
painful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
peculiar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
period
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From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
phase
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
phrase
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
prosperity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
quotes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
reputation
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
strike
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From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
twelve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
uses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
