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Hearts of Three
Hearts of Three

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for Hearts of Three
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.
The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.
Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.
The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.
Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Hearts of Three

Chapter VI

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.
Line 2
The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.
Line 3
Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.
Line 4
The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.
Line 5
Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.”

Hear noun US /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.”

Wondered noun US /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.”

All words in this reading · 97

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

achingly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

adobe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

air

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

almost

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

aroused

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

barred

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

begin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

blow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

breeze

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

buildings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

buzzards

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

carrion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

cell-window

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

centuries

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

Chiriqui

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

coming

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

cool

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

debris

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

dogs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

doorway

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

dozing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

dust

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

dusty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

eyes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

filthy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

founded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

furnace

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

gaze

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

hearnounUS /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

Henry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

hopping

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

interestedly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

intolerable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

known

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

Lagoon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

Low

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

made

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

mid-afternoon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

mosos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

obscene

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

off

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

opposite

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

prowling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

ragged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

rattling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

scavengers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

see

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

several

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

some

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

sort

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

speed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

spokes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

stagnant

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

stared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

stone

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

street

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

then

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

town

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

vehicle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Henry could not see, but he could hear the rattling spokes of some vehicle coming at speed.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The street was dusty and filthy—filthy, because the only scavengers it had ever known since the town was founded centuries before were the carrion dogs and obscene buzzards even then prowling and hopping about in the debris.

white

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

whitewashed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Low, whitewashed buildings of stone and adobe made the street a furnace.

withdrawn

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The white of it all, and the dust, was almost achingly intolerable to the eyes, and Henry would have withdrawn his gaze, had not the several ragged _mosos_, dozing in a doorway opposite, suddenly aroused and looked interestedly up the street.

wonderednounUS /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It was in the mid-afternoon, and Henry, at his barred cell-window, stared out into the street and wondered if any sort of breeze would ever begin to blow from off Chiriqui Lagoon and cool the stagnant air.