andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
busyadjectiveUS /ˈbɪzi/
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
casenounUS /keɪs/
an occurrence of something
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
chiefnounUS /tʃiːf/
a person who is in charge
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
complaintnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnt/
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
confidencenounUS /ˈkɑːnfədəns/
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
contentnounUS /ˈkɑːntent/
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
daysnounUS /deɪz/
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
devoteverbUS /dɪˈvoʊt/
give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
elephantnounUS /ˈeləfənt/
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/
divisible by two
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
feelverbUS /fiːl/
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
gratifiedadjectiveUS /ˈɡrætəfaɪd/
having received what was desired
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
individualadjectiveUS /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəl/
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
leftnounUS /left/
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
leisurenounUS /ˈleʒər/
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
marksnounUS /mɑːrks/
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
meticulousadjectiveUS /məˈtɪkjələs/
marked by precise accordance with details
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
neednounUS /niːd/
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
palmyadjective
very lively and profitable
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
practicenounUS /ˈpræktəs/
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
ratenounUS /reɪt/
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading But it was impossible not to feel gratified by the many marks of confidence he received.
sawverbUS /sɔː/
cut with a saw
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
seasonsnounUS /ˈsiːzənz/
plural of “season” — a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
slackadjectiveUS /slæk/
not tense or taut
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
spreadverbUS /spred/
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
strengthnounUS /streŋkθ/
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading "It would need the strength of an elephant to do that."
studynounUS /ˈstʌdi/
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
summernounUS /ˈsʌmər/
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
unableadjectiveUS /əˈneɪbəl/
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
winternounUS /ˈwɪntər/
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
workverbUS /wɜːrk/
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading And if his work had but left him some leisure for study and an occasional holiday, he would have been content.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading No slack seasons for him now; winter saw him as busy as summer; and his chief ground for complaint was that he was unable to devote the meticulous attention he would have wished to each individual case.
YesnounUS /jes/
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, those were palmy days; the rate at which the practice spread astonished even himself.
