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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 Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
appeared
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From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
away
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From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
came
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
capital
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
confronted
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From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
constructing
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From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
contacts
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From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
country
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
definite
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From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
distract
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From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
dozen
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
dozing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
facts
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From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
father
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
formalities
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
fresh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
futile
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From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
future
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
get
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
give
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
gladly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
Hildegarde
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
information
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
interruptednounUS /ˈinterrupted/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
interviews
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
keep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
labor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
machine-shop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
Middle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
mindnounUS /mind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
months
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
Now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
nowhere
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
official
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
opportunity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
perceive
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
plan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
Potter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
promise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
promised
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
red
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
reluctant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
scurrying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
sent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had not seen Hildegarde, for her father had once more sent her away, and she had not been reluctant to go.
sign
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed he could get nowhere, could lay his hand on no definite information, perceive nowhere a definite plan for the future or sign of constructing a plan.
sleep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
strange
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
tape
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
travel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
trips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
unreeling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
Waite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
walking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
Washington
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
wasted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
West
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the Middle West was dozing, official Washington appeared to him to be walking in its sleep.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now came months of labor and of scurrying about the country for Potter Waite; half a dozen trips to Washington interrupted his work in the machine-shop; formalities, futile interviews, unreeling of red tape wasted his time in the capital.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If travel, fresh contacts, strange people promised to distract her mind from the facts she confronted, she would gladly give them an opportunity to keep their promise.
