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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 It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
accept
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
any
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/
for the reason that
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
belonged
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
blonde
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
boasted
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
called
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
colour
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
dictum
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
doubtful
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
Ella
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From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
evennounUS /even/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
evernounUS /ever/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
generally
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From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
girl
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From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
give
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From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
going
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
half-tones
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
hardly
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
inclined
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
known
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From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
led
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
lengthnounUS /leŋθ/
a period of time or extent
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
less
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
light
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
merry
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
necessary
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From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
noticed
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
passednounUS /passed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
people
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
Perhaps
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From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
plait
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From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
questionnounUS /ˈquestion/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
reached
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From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
really
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From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
red
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From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
shapely
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
sprightly
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
thick
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
thicker
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
thickest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
town
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From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
unobserved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
waist
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From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
way
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From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.