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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 overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
AcrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
ages
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
battered
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
beat
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
breakers
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
bridge-screens
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
came
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
cliffs
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
darkness
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From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
dawn
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
Death
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From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
Destroyers
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
faint
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
flotilla
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
frowning
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
funnels
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
gulls
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
labouring
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
landward
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
line
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
lit
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
met
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
mine-sweeping
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
North
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Destroyers were not sorry to see the dawn.
ocean's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
out
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
overtook
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
patiently
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
pulse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
rolling
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
round
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
salt-crusted
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
Sea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
see
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From this reading The Destroyers were not sorry to see the dawn.
ShadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
Sloops
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
sorry
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From this reading The Destroyers were not sorry to see the dawn.
stormy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
streak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
task
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
task-master
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
throughoutprepositionUS /θruːˈaʊt/
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
THULE
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
thundered
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From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
ULTIMA
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From this reading ULTIMA THULE Across the stormy North Sea came the first faint streak of dawn.
unending
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From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
wailed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Destroyers were not sorry to see the dawn.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
wind-tossed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lit the frowning cliffs, round which wind-tossed gulls wailed and breakers had thundered the beat of an ocean's pulse throughout the ages.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It overtook a long line of Destroyers rolling landward with battered bridge-screens and salt-crusted funnels; it met a flotilla of mine-sweeping Sloops, labouring patiently out to their unending task.
worked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The night was their task-master: in darkness they worked and in the Shadow of Death.