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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 seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
bolts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
boundarynounUS /ˈbaʊn.də.ri/
A line that marks the limits of an area.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
closed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
communication
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
contracted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
creaking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
crowd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
darkness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What did it all mean?
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
Gwynplaine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
human
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
illumined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
light
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
living
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
mean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What did it all mean?
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
opening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
SHUDDERING
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHUDDERING.
shut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
stepped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
sun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
trembled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
wicket
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Gwynplaine heard the wicket shut, creaking in all its bolts, he trembled.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading What were they going to do with him?
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to him that the door which had just closed was the communication between light and darkness--opening on one side on the living, human crowd, and on the other on a dead world; and now that everything illumined by the sun was behind him, that he had stepped over the boundary of life and was standing without it, his heart contracted.
