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adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
Ashe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
brokennounUS /broken/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
caught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
climbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
cord
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
disaster
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
drift
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
escape
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
fingering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
hope
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
knot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
lengthnounUS /leŋθ/
a period of time or extent
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
looped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
loose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
marooned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
McNeil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
McNeil's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
mud
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
Murdock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/
not one and not the other of two
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
nervously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
promise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
pullednounUS /pulled/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
raft
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
ragged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
recognizing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
river
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
Ross
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
sand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
sapling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
sat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
spit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
splintered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
square
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
staring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
stiffly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
string
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
stuff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
survived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
tag
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
touched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
twisted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
tying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
ultimate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The raft must have broken up, and neither Ashe nor McNeil could have survived the ultimate disaster.
vacantly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was such a small thing, a tag of ragged stuff looped about a length of splintered sapling.
weakly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That square knot was of McNeil's tying, and as Murdock sat down weakly in the sand and mud, nervously fingering the twisted cord, staring vacantly at the river, his last small hope died.
welter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ross climbed stiffly over the welter of drift caught on the sand spit and pulled it loose, recognizing the string even before he touched it.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ross Murdock was alone, marooned in a time which was not his own, with little promise of escape.
