adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
canmodal verbUS /kæn/
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
casenounUS /keɪs/
an occurrence of something
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
cigarnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
condemnedverbUS /kənˈdemd/
past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
connived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/
without stop or interruption
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
darkestadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkəst/
superlative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
deathnounUS /deθ/
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
despairnounUS /dɪˈsper/
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
desperateadjectiveUS /ˈdesprɪt/
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
escapenounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/
the act of escaping physically
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
fashionnounUS /ˈfæʃən/
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
fortunesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
handsomeadjectiveUS /ˈhænsəm/
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
happensverbUS /ˈhæpənz/
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
HereadverbUS /hiːr/
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
KingnounUS /kɪŋ/
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
lifenounUS /laɪf/
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
litadjectiveUS /lɪt/
provided with artificial light
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
Lucien
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/
many times at short intervals
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
pardonverbUS /ˈpɑːrdən/
accept an excuse for
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
preferredadjectiveUS /prəˈfɜːrd/
more desirable than another
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
priest'snounUS /priːsts/
possessive form of “priest” — a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
proveverbUS /pruːv/
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
rightadverbUS /raɪt/
precisely, exactly
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
secretarynounUS /ˈsekrəteri/
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
sentencenounUS /ˈsentəns/
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
SpaniardnounUS /ˈspænjərd/
a native or inhabitant of Spain
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
States-General
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
takeverbUS /teɪk/
carry out
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
tellverbUS /tel/
express in words
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “He is right,” he thought; “I can take my life at any time.”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
tookverbUS /tʊk/
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Lucien took a cigar and lit it, Spanish fashion, at the priest’s cigar.
turnverbUS /tɜːrn/
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here was the handsome young secretary lying under sentence of death, and his case the more desperate because, as he had been condemned by the States-General, the King could not pardon him, but he connived at his escape.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “That is what I wished to tell you, but I preferred to prove it by a case in point.
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “It often happens that a young man’s fortunes take a turn when despair is darkest,” the Spaniard continued.
