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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 At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
ability
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
actually
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
afterwards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
any
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
anyonepronounUS /ˈeniwʌn/
any person at all
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
avenues
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From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
bad
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From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
bishop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
business
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
canopynounUS /ˈkæn.ə.pi/
An overhead roof or structure, such as the high vaulted ceiling of an ancient library.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
Canute
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From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
career
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
centuries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
cliffs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
constitutional
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
cottage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
creeping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
curate
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From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
defying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
end
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From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
facing
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From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
far
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
felt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
fields
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
flat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
formed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
gave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
green
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
gulls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
hedge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
hordes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
houses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
imaginative
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
inland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
jerry-built
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
ladies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
lain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
leastnounUS /least/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
lived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
Manchester
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
meanish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
Misses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
motor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
mud
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
nicknamed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
north
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
offended
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
outpost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
plainlynounUS /ˈplainly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
privet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
rather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
rows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
screaming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
semi-detached
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
seriously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
showed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
sky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
square
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
stand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
suffered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
surprisednounUS /surprised/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
surround
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
surrounded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
sweep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
symbol
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
takenounUS /take/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
taken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
terraces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
Thorhaven
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
threatened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
unsatisfactory
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
villas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the far end of Thorhaven towards the north was a little square house surrounded by a privet hedge.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading The ladies who lived at the Cottage had once been nicknamed the Misses Canute--which showed how plainly all this could be seen, as a sort of symbol, by anyone in the least imaginative; though it was a rather unsatisfactory curate from Manchester who actually gave them the name.
wide
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind lay the flat fields under a wide sky just as they had lain for centuries, with the gulls screaming across them inland from the mud cliffs, and so the cottage formed a sort of outpost, facing alone the hordes of jerry-built houses which threatened to sweep on and surround it.
windows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
wished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one felt surprised when he afterwards offended his bishop and went into the motor business, for he suffered from that constitutional ability to take people as seriously as they wished to be taken, which is so bad for any career.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.
wooden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had a green door under a sort of wooden canopy with two flat windows on either side, and seemed to stand there defying the rows and rows of terraces, avenues and meanish semi-detached villas which were creeping up to it.