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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 A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
afforded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
ants
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From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
BLACK
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From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
boards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
built
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From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
bulk
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From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
crumbling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
Dennis's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
ends
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From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
enticing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
fairly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
finenounUS /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
five
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
front
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
galvanised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
homestead
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
honeycombed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
industrious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
insects
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
iron
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
laboriously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
mass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
piles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
rain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
reached
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
refuge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
rickety
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
roof
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
SAL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
steps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
stump
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough.
ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These insects were so industrious that one stump was a crumbling mass, so laboriously had it been honeycombed.
torn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
verandah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BLACK SAL Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place.
weather-beaten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A small verandah in front was reached by five rickety steps, and some of the piles on which the house was built afforded a fine refuge for white ants.
windnounUS /wind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvanised iron roof was torn at the ends by wind and rain.
