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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 From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
appeared
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
attacks
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
climbed
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From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
convincingly
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From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
dart
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From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
distance
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
EachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
egg-shaped
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From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
eight
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From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
flinging
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From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
frenziedly
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From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
fumes
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From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
furiously
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From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
gigantic
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
heavens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
height
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
invisible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
like
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
minute
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
missed
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From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
monstrous
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From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
plunged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
prey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
python
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From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
repeatednounUS /repeated/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
rocket's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
scuttlednounUS /scuttled/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
serpentine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
seven
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
shipnounUS /ship/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
Six
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
snake
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
strikings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
strucknounUS /struck/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It climbed and struck, and climbed and struck, like a monstrous python flinging itself furiously at some invisible prey.
sufficient
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
times
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six, seven, eight times it plunged frenziedly at the minute egg-shaped ship which scuttled for the heavens.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
trail
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From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
twistings
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From this reading From a sufficient height and a sufficient distance, the rocket's repeated attacks must have appeared like the strikings and twistings of a gigantic snake.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
writhed
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From this reading Each time it missed and writhed about to dart again.
writhing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It left behind it a writhing trail of fumes which was convincingly serpentine.
