AdeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
acquireverbUS /əˈkwaɪər/
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
actverbUS /ækt/
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
BennounUS /ben/
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
BesidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
Blankenship
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
consideredadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərd/
carefully weighed
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
CountynounUS /ˈkaʊnti/
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
crimenounUS /kraɪm/
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
daynounUS /deɪ/
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
daysnounUS /deɪz/
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
factnounUS /fækt/
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
fiftynounUS /ˈfɪfti/
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
fishnounUS /fɪʃ/
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
foundverbUS /faʊnd/
set up or found
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
honornounUS /ˈɑːnər/
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
huntverbUS /hʌnt/
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
IllinoisnounUS /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
MissourinounUS /məˈzʊri/
a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
MonroenounUS /mənˈroʊ/
United States film actress noted for sex appeal (1926-1962)
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
offadverbUS /ɔːf/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
out-cast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
outweighverbUS /ˈaʊtweɪ/
be heavier than
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
raggedadjectiveUS /ˈræɡəd/
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
ranverbUS /ræn/
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
rewardnounUS /rɪˈwɔːrd/
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
runawaynounUS /ˈrʌnəweɪ/
an easy victory
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
slavenounUS /sleɪv/
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
swampsnounUS /swɑːmps/
plural of “swamp” — low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
sympathynounUS /ˈsɪmpəθi/
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
temptingadjectiveUS /ˈtemptɪŋ/
highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A slave ran off from Monroe County, Missouri, and got across the river into Illinois.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Besides, there was for this one a reward of fifty dollars--a fortune to ragged, out-cast Ben Blankenship.
thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Ben used to fish and hunt over there in the swamps, and one day found him.
waifnounUS /weɪf/
a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned
From this reading That money, and the honor he could acquire, must have been tempting to the waif, but it did not outweigh his human sympathy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
worthyadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːr.ði/
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading It was considered a most worthy act in those days to return a runaway slave; in fact, it was a crime not to do it.
