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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 had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
afraid
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From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
ancestry
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From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
approaching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
begannounUS /began/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
brief
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
cave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
cave-life
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
cub
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
developing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
down
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From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
encountered
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From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
entrance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
expeditions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
fear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
forbade
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
forcibly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
hunting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
impressed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
instinct
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
law
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
learned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
leaving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
lives
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
many
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
mother's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
NevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
nose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
paw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
remote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
thousand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It had come down to him from a remote ancestry through a thousand thousand lives.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
times
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
WALL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not only had this law been forcibly and many times impressed on him by his mother’s nose and paw, but in him the instinct of fear was developing.
well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Never, in his brief cave-life, had he encountered anything of which to be afraid.
WORLDnounUS /wɜːrld/
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading THE WALL OF THE WORLD By the time his mother began leaving the cave on hunting expeditions, the cub had learned well the law that forbade his approaching the entrance.
YetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet fear was in him.
