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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 In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
any
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
black
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
blinds
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
cap
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
change
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
closed
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
comfortable
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
day
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
dining-room
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
drawn
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
Edmund
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
ensconced
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
family
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
favourite
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
FUNERAL
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From this reading WATCHING THE FUNERAL.
Gass
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
Gass's
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
gave
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
genteel
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
gown
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
greatly
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
improved
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
lady
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
mourning
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
movements
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
Mrs
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
neednounUS /need/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
neighbours
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
net
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
North
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
opportunity
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
other
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
out
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
phrased
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
put
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
rarely
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
respect
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
said
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From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
sat
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
securely
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
seeing
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.
silk
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
sitting-room
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WATCHING THE FUNERAL.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
to-day
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From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
used
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From this reading This was her favourite sitting-room; she rarely used any other: for one thing it gave her the opportunity of seeing the movements of her neighbours.
visitor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Mrs. Gass's comfortable dining-room, securely ensconced behind the closed blinds, drawn to-day, sat that lady and a visitor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
WATCHING
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From this reading WATCHING THE FUNERAL.
white
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From this reading It was the day of the funeral of Edmund North; and Mrs. Gass had put on mourning out of respect to the family: a black silk gown and white net cap.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It need not be said that the change improved her appearance greatly: she looked, as she herself would have phrased it, genteel to-day.