AdeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
abilitynounUS /əˈbɪlətiː/
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading Their ability saves them from being demagogues.
accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
actionsnounUS /ˈækʃənz/
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
adventurersnounUS /ædˈventʃərərz/
plural of “adventurer” — a person who enjoys taking risks
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
ambitionnounUS /æmˈbɪʃən/
a cherished desire
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Their ability saves them from being demagogues.
brandsnounUS /brændz/
plural of “brand” — a name given to a product or service
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
calledverbUS /kɔːld/
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
CapableadjectiveUS /ˈkeɪpəbəl/
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
characteristicnounUS /ˌkerəktərˈɪstɪk/
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
CRISISnounUS /ˈkraɪsəs/
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
demagoguesnounUS /ˈdeməɡɑːɡz/
plural of “demagogue” — a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
From this reading Their ability saves them from being demagogues.
DouglasnounUS /ˈdʌɡləs/
United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
examplesnounUS /ɪɡˈzæmpəlz/
plural of “example” — an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Their ability saves them from being demagogues.
GiantnounUS /ˈdʒaɪənt/
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
givesnounUS /ɡɪvz/
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
intellectnounUS /ˈɪntəlekt/
knowledge and intellectual ability
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
LittleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
mainspringnoun
the most important spring in a mechanical device (especially a clock or watch); as it uncoils it drives the mechanism
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
neverthelessadverbUS /ˌnevərðəˈles/
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
notableadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəbəl/
widely known and esteemed
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
personaladjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrsɪnəl/
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
publicnounUS /ˈpʌblɪk/
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
racenounUS /reɪs/
any competition
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
sacrificenounUS /ˈsækrəfaɪs/
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
savesnounUS /seɪvz/
plural of “save” — (sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring
From this reading Their ability saves them from being demagogues.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
StephennounUS /ˈstiːvən/
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
strainnounUS /streɪn/
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
theatricaladjectiveUS /θiˈætrɪkəl/
of or relating to the theater
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Capable of sacrifice to their country, personal ambition is, nevertheless, the mainspring of their actions.
traitnounUS /treɪt/
a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
From this reading This trait gives them a large theatrical strain, and sometimes brands them as adventurers.
typenounUS /taɪp/
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
unhappyadjectiveUS /ənˈhæpi/
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading They must either be before the public, or else unhappy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE CRISIS Stephen A. Douglas, called the Little Giant on account of his intellect, was a type of man of which our race has had some notable examples, although they are not characteristic.
