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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 He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
accident
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From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
back
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
big
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
black
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From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
bridge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
Chief
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
Chief's
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From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
collapsed
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From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
completion
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From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
construction
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
dark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
dozen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
Forty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
gleaming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They were good.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
hair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
history
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
jobs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
looknounUS /look/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
making
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
Mohawk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
Platform
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
saturnine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
Space
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
steel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
straight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were good.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
tribe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
tribesmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were good.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was the Chief, dark and saturnine to look at, with his straight black hair gleaming in the light.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a Mohawk, and he and his tribe had taken to steel construction work a long time back.
working
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many big construction jobs on which the Chief's tribesmen were not to be found working.
worst
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Forty of them had died together in the worst construction accident in history, when a bridge on its way to completion collapsed in the making, but there were a dozen or more at work on the Space Platform now.
