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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 was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Abyssinia
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From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
Africa
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From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
army
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From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Assouan
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From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading At its outset it had been terrible.
begun
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From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
blue
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From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
British
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From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
cast
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From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
Central
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From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
channels
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From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
confines
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Darfur
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From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
days
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/
not friendly or close
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
Dongola
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From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
east
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From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
Egypt
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From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
engulfed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
ensued
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
finally
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
flood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
forces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
frontier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
full
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
garrisons
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
Gordon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Hicks's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
hills
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
hoped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Khartoum
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
Lakes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
lull
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
Mahdism
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
north
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
outset
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At its outset it had been terrible.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
parties
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
raiding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
retiredverbUS /rɪˈtaɪərd/
went away to a private place
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
river
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
rolled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
show
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
signs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
spray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
swept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
ten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading At its outset it had been terrible.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
tide
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
turn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had engulfed Hicks's army, swept over Gordon and Khartoum, rolled behind the British forces as they retired down the river, and finally cast up a spray of raiding parties as far north as Assouan.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
west
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then it found other channels to east and to west, to Central Africa and to Abyssinia, and retired a little on the side of Egypt.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was in the days when the tide of Mahdism, which had swept in such a flood from the great Lakes and Darfur to the confines of Egypt, had at last come to its full, and even begun, as some hoped, to show signs of a turn.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For ten years there ensued a lull, during which the frontier garrisons looked out upon those distant blue hills of Dongola.
