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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 For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
adjacent
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
beating
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
Bernardine
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
brain
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
brookside
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
certainly
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
clock
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
conjured
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
crept
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From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
dense
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
dilated
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From this reading She gazed with dilated eyes.
excitedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/
very enthusiastic or eager
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
eyes
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From this reading She gazed with dilated eyes.
fancy
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From this reading Surely it was her fancy.
fear
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
felt
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
form
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From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
gazed
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From this reading She gazed with dilated eyes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
hour
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
idle
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
instant
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
mastering
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From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
midnight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
moved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
moving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
nearer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
own
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
peeringverbUS /ˈpɪrɪŋ/
looking closely or carefully
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
shadows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
single
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
stealthily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
stoodnounUS /stood/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
strucknounUS /struck/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
stunted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
supposed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
Surely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely it was her fancy.
terror
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
there
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From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
tower
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
tree
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a single instant Bernardine felt her terror mastering her; it was certainly not an idle fear conjured up by her own excited brain.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One of the shadows, which she had supposed to be a stunted tree, moved, crept nearer and nearer, until it took the form of a man moving stealthily toward her.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The clock from an adjacent tower struck the hour of midnight as she stood there by the brookside, peering, with beating heart, among the dense shadow of the trees.
