adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
Assouannoun
an ancient city on the Nile in Egypt; two dams across the Nile have been built nearby
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
carriagenounUS /ˈkærɪdʒ/
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
chaosnounUS /ˈkeɪɑːs/
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
colouradjectiveUS /ˈkʌlər/
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
comeverbUS /kʌm/
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
companynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
copper-coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
desertverbUS /ˈdezərt/
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
disappearverbUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
emptyverbUS /ˈempti/
make void or empty of contents
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
fallingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlɪŋ/
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
FebruarynounUS /ˈfebjəweri/
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
granitenounUS /ˈɡrænət/
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
hereadverbUS /hiːr/
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
horizonnounUS /hərˈaɪzən/
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
housenounUS /haʊs/
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
Incontestably
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
lastadjectiveUS /læst/
immediately past
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
LeavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/
the act of departing
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
linesnounUS /laɪnz/
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
nightnounUS /naɪt/
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
onceadverbUS /wʌns/
on one occasion
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
paradoxicaladjectiveUS /ˌperəˈdɑːksɪkəl/
seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
passedverbUS /pæst/
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
PASSINGnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
PHILAE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
polesnounUS /poʊlz/
plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
railroadnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊd/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
reddishadjectiveUS /ˈredɪʃ/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
ridiculousadjectiveUS /rɪˈdɪkjələs/
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
sandnounUS /sænd/
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
seemsverbUS /siːmz/
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
skynounUS /skaɪ/
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
soonadverbUS /suːn/
in the near future
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
telegraphnounUS /ˈteləɡræf/
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
tonesnounUS /toʊnz/
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
tooadverbUS /tuː/
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
travellingnounUS /ˈtrævəlɪŋ/
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading And then too how paradoxical and ridiculous it seems to be travelling here on full security and in a carriage!
traverseverbUS /ˈtrævərs/
travel across or pass over
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading And now the night is falling, a cold February night, under a strange, copper-coloured sky.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading THE PASSING OF PHILAE Leaving Assouan--as soon as we have passed the last house--we come at once upon the desert.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But there are telegraph poles and the lines of a railroad, which traverse it in company, and disappear in the empty horizon.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Incontestably it is the desert, with its chaos of granite and sand, its warm tones and reddish colour.
