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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 Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
Alan's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
all
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From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
almost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
beautiful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
beginningnounUS /ˈbeginning/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
clear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
coarsened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
consciencenounUS /ˈkɑːnʃəns/
the inner sense of right and wrong
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
effort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
enough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
face
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
father
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
feel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
fiendish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
Graham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
helpnounUS /help/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
impossibility
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
incongruity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
iniquities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
iron-man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
John
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
letting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
lips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
Mary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
monstrous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
mésalliance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
physical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
pitiless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
power
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
pullednounUS /pulled/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
revealed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
say
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
shadow-hulk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
slow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
smile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
smiled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
sort
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
soul
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
Standish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
sweet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
taking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
together
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pulled himself together without letting her see the physical part of the effort it was taking.
tried
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
twisted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A slow smile twisted his lips, but he did not know he smiled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Alan’s first thought was of the monstrous incongruity of the thing, the almost physical impossibility of a mésalliance of the sort Mary Standish had revealed to him.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And he tried to find something to say that would help clear her eyes of the agony that was in them.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw her, young and beautiful, with face and eyes that from the beginning had made him feel all that was good and sweet in life, and behind her he saw the shadow-hulk of John Graham, the pitiless iron-man, without conscience and without soul, coarsened by power, fiendish in his iniquities, and old enough to be her father!
