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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 So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
adding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
ago
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From this reading That was a week ago.
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
any
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
back
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
better
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
bottle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
broke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
bull
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
chair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
ComenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
electric
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
entered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
fact
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
faded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
friend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
hearing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
hit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
infamous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
lamp
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
landing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
leaning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
lips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
nose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
opened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
owe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
quietly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
rate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
regarding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
rush
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
Russian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
sang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
say
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
send
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
stepnounUS /step/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I heard the step on the landing before he did.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
ugly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe my life to the fact that my hearing is good—at any rate, better than that of my ugly friend.
vis-à-vis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now once more I am leaning back in a chair, regarding my _vis-à-vis_.
vocative
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was a week ago.
week
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That was a week ago.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
wine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading So I broke the electric lamp, hit the ugly man on the nose with a bottle of wine, sang out in infamous Russian “Come in,” adding a vocative which will send any Russian white to the lips, opened the door quietly, and when the other had entered, which he did with the rush of a bull, faded away, as they say, and left them to it.