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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 rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
airless
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From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
anothernounUS /ˈanother/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
catastrophe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
cavernous
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From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
deep
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From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
degrees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
disaster
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From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
Doug
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From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
fissure
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From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
following
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From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
hearnounUS /hear/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
HerenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
hesitated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
hundreds
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From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
instant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
interior
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
mean
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From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
Mercury
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From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
movement
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From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
Norris
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From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
rock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
rocks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
rumble
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
shifting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
strike
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
temperature
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.