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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 For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
believed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
castles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
chasm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
crashing
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From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
crossed
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From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
door
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From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
dreams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
driving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
echo
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From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
faced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
feet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
French
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
hearing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
horrified
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
led
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
motionless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
opened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
piazza
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
rain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
ran
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
roof
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
ruins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
Samuel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
shelter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
soul
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
staring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
storm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
stunned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
swish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
thundernounUS /ˈthunder/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
underneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading The rain was driving underneath the shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul.
windows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French windows which led to the piazza.
wreckage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood there, stunned and horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed.
yawned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of his dreams had come down in ruins.
