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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 opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
arch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
arched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
black
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
boys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
brick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
church
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From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
desertedverbUS /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/
left a place or vessel without intending to return
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
face
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
flagged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
graveyard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
gray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
Half-waynounUS /half-way/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
high
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
listening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
Marco
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
newspaper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
number
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
opened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
passagenounUS /ˈpassage/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
playing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
railings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
reading
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
restnounUS /rest/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
shriller
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
shut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
sound
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
space
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
street's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
thinner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
tramped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
turned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marco tramped up to the arch and looked down through the passage.
venerable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
voices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sound of the voices came from there--one of them high, and thinner and shriller than the rest.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Half-way to the street's end there was an arched brick passage.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It opened on to a gray flagged space, shut in by the railings of a black, deserted, and ancient graveyard behind a venerable church which turned its face toward some other street.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The boys were not playing, but listening to one of their number who was reading to them from a newspaper.
