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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 As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
affected
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From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
air
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From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
all
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From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
altogether
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
bandied
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From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
bent
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From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
Bouchard
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From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
colonel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
commendation
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
craving
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From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
deal
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
delightfully
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From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
enjoy
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
eulogies
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From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
evening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
expressions
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
extremely
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From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
faces
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
fun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
gratification
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
gravely
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
grovelled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
hearing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
inapplicable
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
incense
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
language
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From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
laudatory
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
lavished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
M
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
modesty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
monotonous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
nonsense
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
obvious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
phrases
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
pleasantnounUS /pleasant/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
power
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
praises
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
pride
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
ridiculous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
Rougon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
sang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
shoulders
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
sometimes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
surly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
talked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
titillated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
vanity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
voices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such incense was, however, extremely pleasant to him.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Rougon heard this his shoulders bent, and he affected a surly air by way of modesty.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He sometimes made fun of them when they were not there, but, for all that, his pride and craving for power found gratification in their eulogies.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vanity was never so delightfully titillated as when the colonel and M. Bouchard bandied laudatory phrases like these about for a whole evening.
wore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They talked a great deal of obvious nonsense, and their faces wore gravely ridiculous expressions; but the more they grovelled in their language the more did Rougon enjoy hearing their monotonous voices as they sang his praises and lavished altogether inapplicable commendation upon him.
![His Excellency [Son Exc. Eugène Rougon]](/static/images/covers-gen/his-excellency-son-exc-eugene-rougon.academy.webp)