adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
activitynounUS /ækˈtɪvəti/
any specific behavior
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
contentmentnounUS /kənˈtentmənt/
happiness with one's situation in life
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
convulsionsnounUS /kənˈvʌlʃənz/
plural of “convulsion” — a sudden uncontrollable attack
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
coursenounUS /kɔːrs/
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
CuriousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
currentnounUS /ˈkɜːrənt/
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
drowsyadjectiveUS /ˈdraʊzi/
half asleep
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And now the whole thing was over for good.
gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
gentleadjectiveUS /ˈdʒentəl/
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading And now the whole thing was over for good.
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/
only a very short time before
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
hopesnounUS /hoʊps/
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
housenounUS /haʊs/
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
ideasnounUS /aɪˈdiːəz/
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
inconvenientadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkənˈviːnjənt/
not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
indifferentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt/
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
lapseverbUS /læps/
pass into a specified state or condition
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
lifenounUS /laɪf/
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
livedverbUS /lɪvd/
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
mixturenounUS /ˈmɪkstʃər/
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/
of an obscure nature
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the whole thing was over for good.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading And now the whole thing was over for good.
ownverbUS /oʊn/
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
patrioticadjectiveUS /ˌpeɪtriˈɑːtɪk/
inspired by love for your country
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/
by chance
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
pronouncedadjectiveUS /prəˈnaʊnst/
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
purposelessnessnoun
the quality of lacking any definite purpose
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
recognisingverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzɪŋ/
-ing form of “recognise” — show approval or appreciation of
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
RumoursnounUS /ˈruːmərz/
plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
sequesteredadjectiveUS /sɪˈkwestərd/
providing privacy or seclusion
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
sistersnounUS /ˈsɪstərz/
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
socialadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊʃəl/
relating to human society and its members
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
softlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːftli/
with low volume
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
stirredadjectiveUS /stɜːrd/
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
strengthnounUS /streŋkθ/
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
sweetlyadverbUS /ˈswiːtli/
in an affectionate or loving manner (“sweet” is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of “sweetly”)
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
sweptadjectiveUS /swept/
possessing sweep
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
thingnounUS /θɪŋ/
a special situation
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
trampedverbUS /træmpt/
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading Curious and indifferent people came, tramped about the house, pronounced it old-fashioned and inconvenient.
treesnounUS /triːz/
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
wallsnounUS /wɔːlz/
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
warsnounUS /wɔːrz/
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading Rumours of wars, social convulsions, patriotic hopes, great ideas, had swept on their course outside, and had never stirred the drowsy current of life behind the garden walls.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now the whole thing was over for good.
wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole thing seemed a mysterious mixture of purposelessness and contentment.
woodlandnounUS /ˈwʊdlænd/
land that is covered with trees and shrubs
From this reading The sisters had lived, sweetly, perhaps, and softly, like trees in some sequestered woodland, hardly recognising their own gentle lapse of strength and activity.
