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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 He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
almost
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From this reading He was almost quite chaste.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
application
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From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
boy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
chaste
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was almost quite chaste.
debauched
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From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
deep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
draw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
dumb
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
fear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
felt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
home
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
humility
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
idea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
inexperienced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
kept
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
living
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
naïve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
nearly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
neednounUS /need/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
new
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
quitenounUS /quite/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He was almost quite chaste.
real
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
sensitiveness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
Sexual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
somehow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
sometimes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
strong
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
talk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
things
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
thirty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
uneasiness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sexual talk was all very well among men, but somehow it had no application to living women.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
whompronounUS /huːm/
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There were two things for him, the _idea_ of women, with which he sometimes debauched himself, and real women, before whom he felt a deep uneasiness, and a need to draw away.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A strong sensitiveness had kept him from women.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He came home again, nearly thirty years old, but naïve and inexperienced as a boy, only with a silence about him that was new: a sort of dumb humility before life, a fear of living.
