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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 Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
afar
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
all
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
appeared
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
arose
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At dawn we beheld Japan.
away
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
beheld
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From this reading At dawn we beheld Japan.
black
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
blank
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
blowing
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
breeze
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
country
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
dawn
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From this reading At dawn we beheld Japan.
days
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
dense
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
dot
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
drive
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
effort
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
foretold
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
Fukai
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From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
heights
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From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
horizon
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
increased
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
Islands
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From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
Japan
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From this reading At dawn we beheld Japan.
land
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
like
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
many
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
misty
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
mountains
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/
difficult to explain or understand
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
Nagasaki
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
off
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
opaque
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
out
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
outlines
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
pink-tipped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
Precisely
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From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
rays
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
rising
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From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
sea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
series
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From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
sharp
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From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
shores
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From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
Soon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
space
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
steadily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
strong
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
sun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
tiny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first we saw nothing by the rays of the rising sun but a series of tiny pink-tipped heights (the Fukai Islands).
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
vain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
vast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
veil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
waters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon, however, appeared all along the horizon, like a misty veil over the waters, Japan itself; and little by little, out of the dense shadow, arose the sharp, opaque outlines of the Nagasaki mountains.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading At dawn we beheld Japan.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Precisely at the foretold moment the mysterious land arose before us, afar off, like a black dot in the vast sea, which for so many days had been but a blank space.
windnounUS /wind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The wind was dead against us, and the strong breeze, which steadily increased, seemed as if the country were blowing with all its might, in a vain effort to drive us away from its shores.
