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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 did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
air
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
BIG
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
burned
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From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
clean
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
cold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
cool
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From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
crawled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
DAY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
deep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
desert
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
drewnounUS /drew/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
East
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From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
envy
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From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
escape
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From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
fetid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
frozen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
Geronimo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
get
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From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
Gila
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
grip
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
heat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
hibernated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
holed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
hot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
jail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
Jones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
laid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
learned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
lie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
man's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
men
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From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
midsummer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
monsters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
nightsnounUS /naɪts/
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
Out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
Papagueria
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
pay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
rattlesnakes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
Rimrock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
RIMROCK'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
settled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
snakes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
stark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
stars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
steel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
suffocated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
sun-cursed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
Tecolotes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
touched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
tracknounUS /træk/
a route or signs showing the way someone went
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
waited
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading Out on the stark desert, where the men laid the track, the hot steel burned everything it touched; but the air was clean and in the nights, when he suffocated, they lay cool and looked up at the stars.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RIMROCK'S BIG DAY The white heat of midsummer settled down on the desert and the rattlesnakes and Gila monsters holed up.
winter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As in the frozen East they hibernated in winter to escape the grip of the cold, so in sun-cursed Papagueria, where the Tecolotes lie, they crawled as deep to get away from the heat.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading But in the Geronimo jail with its dead, fetid air, Rimrock Jones learned to envy the snakes.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They did a man's work and drew their pay; he lay in the heat and waited.
