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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 The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
againnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
AlongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
any
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
boiler
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
bracket
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
branch
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
broke
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
bulging
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
cautious
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
collision
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
compact
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
concentrated
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
condense
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
crawled
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
distance
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
Drerie
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
eager
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
embarrassed
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
EN
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
engineer
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
engineer's
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
fifty-seven
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
five
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
fog
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
forever
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
forty-two
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
funny
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
gaze
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
headlight
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
hours
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
instantly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
issuance
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It rumbled and jerked along, unashamed.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
jerked
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From this reading It rumbled and jerked along, unashamed.
kerosene
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
kind
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
late
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
locomotive
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
lonely
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
mass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
minutes
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
mist
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
moving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
noise
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
odd
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From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
out
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/
the main matter or purpose being discussed
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
poured
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
primitive
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
Railroad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
restless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
ROUTE
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From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
rumbled
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From this reading It rumbled and jerked along, unashamed.
searching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
seen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
smoke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
smoke-stack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
Snailsdale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
solid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
stack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
swallowed
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
thicker
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From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
three
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EN ROUTE Along the lonely Snailsdale branch of the Drerie Railroad crawled the five forty-two, three hours and fifty-seven minutes late.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
two
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
unashamed
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From this reading It rumbled and jerked along, unashamed.
waiting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The smoke which poured out of the funny old bulging smoke-stack was instantly swallowed in the thicker fog; it could be seen only as a kind of restless mass at its point of issuance from the stack.
whiteness
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From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It must have seemed odd to the cautious engineer that his locomotive could be forever moving into this solid mass without any noise of the collision.
yard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old kerosene headlight, standing out before the boiler on its primitive bracket, broke the compact whiteness for only a yard or two and even to that distance the engineer’s concentrated, searching gaze was embarrassed by the mist which seemed waiting, eager to condense again.