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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 NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
absence
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
affairs
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
air
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
AlthoughnounUS /ˈalthough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
American
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
approaching
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
attentive
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
best
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
butler
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
carefully
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
chair
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
choice
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
chosen
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
complex
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
complexion
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
connoisseurnounUS /ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/
a person who knows a great deal about the quality of something
From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
dinner
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
dispositionnounUS /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/
the way something is arranged or positioned
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
Duge
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
elegances
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
English
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
flowers
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
fond
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
fruit
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
glass
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
grave
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
heaped
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
hothouse
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
lights
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
man
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
meditatively
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
mindful
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
NEW
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
notwithstanding
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
Phineas
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
sat
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
selected
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
singularly
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
sipped
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
small
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
soft
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
solemn-faced
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From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
somewhat
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
sort
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Behind his chair stood his English butler, grave, solemn-faced, attentive.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
table
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From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
VENTURE
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
vulgarity
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From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A NEW VENTURE Phineas Duge, notwithstanding an absence of anything approaching vulgarity in his somewhat complex disposition, was, for a man of affairs and an American, singularly fond of the small elegances of life.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.
wine
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From this reading His one glass of wine, the best of its sort, he sipped meditatively, and with the air of a connoisseur.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Although he sat alone at dinner, the table was heaped with choice flowers and carefully selected hothouse fruit.
woman
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From this reading The soft lights upon the table were such as a woman, mindful of her complexion, might have chosen.