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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 THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
back
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From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
Basin
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From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
bloodless
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From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
bold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
boldest
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From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
caporal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
continuednounUS /ˈcontinued/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
cowering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
cursed
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From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜrmɪnd/
having firmly decided to do something
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
distance
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From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
earth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
enemy
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From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
fighting
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From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
followed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
fusillade
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From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
given
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From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
Grimes
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From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
hard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
harried
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From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
herders
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
hour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
hundreds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
innocents
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
kill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
killing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
lightly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
Maverick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
pang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
plain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
play
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
presence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
prize
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
raged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
rich
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
rifle-shot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
rifle-shots
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
ruthless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
Scarboroughs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
scattering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
sent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
sheep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
SHEEP-WAR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
showed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
slaughter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
sorely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
strucknounUS /struck/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
takenounUS /take/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And the fusillade which followed, killing his sheep by the hundreds and scattering them across the plain, showed the presence of an enemy as ruthless as himself and as determined to play a bold hand.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It was a slaughter of the innocents, but each sheep that went down sent a pang through Grimes' hard heart.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
too
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
victory
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No, it was too rich a prize to be given up lightly and the Scarboroughs were fighting to win.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading For an hour, while Grimes raged about in the distance and cursed his cowering herders, the rifle-shots continued and the sorely harried sheep went down until there were no more to kill.
win
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHEEP-WAR If Grimes had thought to win a bloodless victory and take over Maverick Basin for his sheep he was brought back to earth by that first rifle-shot, which had struck down his boldest _caporal_.