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adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
air
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From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
ascending
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From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
beautiful
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From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
breath
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From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
calm
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From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
certainly
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From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
cold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
continually
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
courtyardnounUS /ˈkɔːrtjɑːrd/
an open area surrounded by the walls of a building
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
differentnounUS /ˈdifferent/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
domestic
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From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
doorkeeper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
ears
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
encountered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
evening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
felt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
gliding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
Gourd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
Greatly
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From this reading Greatly surprised, he questioned him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
kind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
lodgers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
met
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
Monsieur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
morality
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
motionless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/
difficult to explain or understand
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
nakedness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
noiselessly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
Octave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
ontoprepositionUS /ˈɑːntuː/
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
opened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
passagenounUS /ˈpassage/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
peacefulness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
pricked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
prowling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
questioned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Greatly surprised, he questioned him.
rounds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
servants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
shameful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
staircase
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
staircases
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
stories
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
surprisednounUS /surprised/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Greatly surprised, he questioned him.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
troubled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
uneasy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
vestibule
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
virtues
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading He was met gliding noiselessly along, his eyes open, his ears pricked up, continually ascending the two staircases, where lodgers had even encountered him going his rounds in the dead of night.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading For some time past, Monsieur Gourd had been prowling about with an uneasy and mysterious air.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading One evening, Octave had found the doorkeeper standing motionless and without a light at the end of his passage, close to the door which opened onto the servants’ staircase.
worrying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morality of the house was certainly worrying him; he felt a kind of breath of shameful things which troubled the cold nakedness of the courtyard, the calm peacefulness of the vestibule, the beautiful domestic virtues of the different stories.
