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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 It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
activity
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
also
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
bars
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
called
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
captives
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
carefully
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
chosen
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
cold
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
confined
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
court
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
courtyardnounUS /ˈkɔːrtjɑːrd/
an open area surrounded by the walls of a building
From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
dangerous
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
day
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
deformity
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
deigns
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
Den
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
desperate
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
divisionnounUS /dɪˈvɪʒən/
an army unit large enough to sustain combat
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
double
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From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
enclosed
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
enormous
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
examined
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
expression
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
expressive
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
Force
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
frequently
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
glances
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
gnaw
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
gratings
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
gulf
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
herculean
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
intelligence
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
jailers
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
keepers
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
La
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
language
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
Lions
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
moral
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
most
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
named
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
obliquely
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
penetrate
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
physical
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
pitiless
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
possess
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
prison
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From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
prisoners
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
probably
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From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
proportions
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
prove
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
quarter
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
reign
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
restnounUS /rest/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
Saint-Bernard
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From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
sometimes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
subjects
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
sun
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From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
superior
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From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
teeth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
thickness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
walls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The courtyard of this quarter is enclosed by enormous walls, over which the sun glances obliquely, when it deigns to penetrate into this gulf of moral and physical deformity.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading The gratings are every day carefully examined by jailers, whose herculean proportions and cold pitiless expression prove them to have been chosen to reign over their subjects for their superior activity and intelligence.
withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest.
