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1920
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From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
abstract
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From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
All
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From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
away
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
brownish
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
Burl
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From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
capable
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
carpet
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
carried
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
cautiously
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
coming
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
creeping
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
ears
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
end
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
entered
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From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
faintly
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
fashion
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
fungus
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
furtively
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
generic
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From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.
grandfather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
growth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
head
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
hypothetical
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
lifetime
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
many-times-great-grandfather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
mother
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
occurred
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From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
old
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From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
perhaps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
purely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
questionnounUS /ˈquestion/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
rarely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.
rather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
remembered
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From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
say
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
scene
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
screams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.
speed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
stream
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
succession
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
Surely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
surroundings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
title
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
treading
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
unpleasant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
untimely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
vaguely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
water
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.
wonder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
wonderednounUS /wondered/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
year
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.
