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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 “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
acquaintance
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
all
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From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
balls
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
bats
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
beauty
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
blonde
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
blue
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
boys
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
came
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
chits
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From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
contain
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
daughters
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
divine
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From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
dreamnounUS /driːm/
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
dreams
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
dry
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
elder
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
English
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
Englishwoman
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
Englishwomen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
eyes
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
family
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
father
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From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
games
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
happiness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
heavenly
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
hopes
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
hotel
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
kind
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
like
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From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
made
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
makenounUS /make/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
men
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From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
minds
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From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
night
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
play
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
poetry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
pretty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
rackets
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
rough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
samenounUS /same/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
see
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From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
seems
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From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
shrivelled-up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
sons
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
stopping
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From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
then
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
tillprepositionUS /tɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
two
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From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading When those chits make up their minds to be pretty, they are divine.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading “I made the acquaintance of an English family who were stopping at the same hotel where I was.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This one had blue eyes, the kind of blue which seems to contain all the poetry, all the dreams, all the hopes and happiness of the world!
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The father looked like those men you see over there, and the mother was like all other Englishwomen.
younger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They had two sons, the kind of boys who play rough games with balls, bats or rackets from morning till night; then came two daughters, the elder a dry, shrivelled-up Englishwoman, the younger a dream of beauty, a heavenly blonde.