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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 LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Free, am I?" he asked.
amazed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
announcement
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From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
arrived
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From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
askednounUS /asked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Free, am I?" he asked.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
attitude
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
changed
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From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
completely
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From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
comprehended
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
face
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
fear
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
followed
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
forth
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
FreeadjectiveUS /friː/
acting without enough restraint or discipline
From this reading "Free, am I?" he asked.
FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
Gautran
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
gazed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
given
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From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Free, am I?" he asked.
immediately
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
indeed
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
JOHN
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
joy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
known
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From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
LETTER
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
libertynounUS /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
lost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
mindnounUS /mind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
observed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
passednounUS /passed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
passing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
purport
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From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
repeatednounUS /repeated/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
restored
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
scarcely
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From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
spasm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
stupefied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
twice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
understanding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had so completely given himself up as lost that he was stupefied by the announcement that his liberty was restored to him.
vacantly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gazed vacantly before him, and the announcement had to be twice repeated before he arrived at an understanding of its purport; then his attitude changed.
VANBRUGH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
wander
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading A LETTER FROM JOHN VANBRUGH For a little while Gautran scarcely comprehended that he was at liberty to wander forth.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A spasm of joy passed into his face, followed immediately by a spasm of fear; those who observed him would indeed have been amazed had they known what was passing through his mind.