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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 little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
accustomed
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
bent
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From this reading Joan bent over it.
bound
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
brokennounUS /broken/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
came
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
ceased
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From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
change
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
clungnounUS /clung/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
continuously
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From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
days
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
existence
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From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
face
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
frail
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From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
graspnounUS /ɡræsp/
a firm hold in a specific situation in this story
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
hold
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From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
home
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
ill
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
Joan
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
knee
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
loosened
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From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
many
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
moaning
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From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
night
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
nurse
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Joan bent over it.
place
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
plaintive
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From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
present
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From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
remainednounUS /ˈremained/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
saw
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
several
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
sitting
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From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
sound
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From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It had been moaning continuously, and suddenly the plaintive sound ceased.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
tie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It had been ill for several days,--so ill that Joan had remained at home to nurse it,--and one night, sitting with it upon her knee in her accustomed place, she saw a change upon the small face.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
weak
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From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The time came, before many days, when the last tie that bound Joan to her present life was broken.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The little one, who from the first had clung to existence with a frail hold, at last loosened its weak grasp.