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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 The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
bride
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
CaptainnounUS /ˈcaptain/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
chief
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
Christmastide
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
circumstances
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
Cleeve
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
coming
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
comparatively
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
completely
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
connection
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
conversation
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
DUSK
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From this reading IN THE DUSK OF EVENING.
earth
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From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
episode
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
EVENING
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From this reading IN THE DUSK OF EVENING.
events
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
food
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
gossip
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
home
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
INprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DUSK OF EVENING.
Lennox
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
lives
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
marriage
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
month
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
more
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
NevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
now
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
Nullington
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE DUSK OF EVENING.
ordinary
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
out
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
overshadowed
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
people
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
Philip
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
quietude
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
revelations
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
romantic
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
served
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
sister
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From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
somewhat
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
startled
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
startling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
surmise
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From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
swallowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
tame
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From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DUSK OF EVENING.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
times
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From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
topic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
vanished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Both Captain Lennox and his sister had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed them up.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading But this comparatively tame episode was completely overshadowed by the startling revelations in connection with Captain Lennox.
wonder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never had the good people of Nullington had more food for gossip, wonder, and surmise--never had they been so startled out of the ordinary quietude of their lives, as during the Christmastide to which events have now brought us.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The marriage, under somewhat romantic circumstances, of Philip Cleeve, and the coming home of himself and his bride, would, in ordinary times, have served as the chief topic of conversation for a month to come.
