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aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
any
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
centuries
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
clear
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
coast
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
connected
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
distinguished
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
down
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
downs
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From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
easily
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
established
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
family
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
fate
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
Hay-Heriot
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
held
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
history
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From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
house
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
keeping
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
lairds
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
level
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
like
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
line
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
moderately
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
monotonous
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From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
more
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
Most
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
natural
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/
not one and not the other of two
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
often
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
personages
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
Pitcomlie
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
profligates
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
pull
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
raise
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
reckoned
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From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
respectable
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
rich
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
rising
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
rocks
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
ruinous
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
speak
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From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
spendthrifts
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
sturdily
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
submerged
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house of Hay-Heriot had been established at Pitcomlie for more centuries than could easily be reckoned.
There
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From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
threatened
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
tides
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There had never been any great personages in the family to raise it above its natural level, but neither had there been any distinguished profligates or spendthrifts to pull it down.
ups
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From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
very
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From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
vices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
waves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
wicked
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From this reading Most of the lairds had been respectable, and those who were not had never been more than moderately wicked, keeping clear of ruinous vices.
wild
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was neither very rich nor very great, but it was well connected, and had held itself sturdily above the waves of fate like one of the rocks along its wild coast line, often threatened by rising tides, but never submerged.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The history of the house had been very monotonous, without ups or downs to speak of.
