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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 There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
all
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
allay
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
any
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
awakened
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
betraying
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
BetweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
career
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
caution
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
concerning
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
days
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
Denzil
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
diminished
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
eighteen
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
end
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
entered
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
equanimitynounUS /ˌek.wəˈnɪm.ə.t̬i/
Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
established
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
habit
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
inquiry
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
insecure
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
January
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
Lilian's
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
lips
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
London
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
mental
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
moment
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
months
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
needed
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
once
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
only
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
past
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From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
perilous
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
Polterham
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
position
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
practically
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
respect
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From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
risk
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
secrecy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
seldom
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From this reading Lilian's name was seldom upon his lips, and any inquiry concerning her at once awakened his caution.
show
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
spoke
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From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
There
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Between themselves they never spoke of the past.
three
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
uneasiness
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From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
unguarded
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From this reading The risk of betraying himself in an unguarded moment was diminished by the mental habit established during eighteen months of secrecy in London.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By the end of January he had practically forgotten that his position was in any respect insecure.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading There needed only two or three days of life at Polterham to allay the uneasiness with which, for all his show of equanimity, Denzil entered upon so perilous a career.