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againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
All
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
arms
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
away
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
bore
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
bosom
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
caring
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
cheek
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
desperate
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
died
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From this reading Heaven, likewise, had frowned upon her, and she had not died.
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
evernounUS /ever/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
eyes
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
face
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From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
firm
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
freeadjectiveUS /friː/
acting without enough restraint or discipline
From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
frowned
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
head
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
Heaven
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From this reading Heaven, likewise, had frowned upon her, and she had not died.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
Hester
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From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
lestconjunctionUS /lest/
in order that something should not happen
From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
letter
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
likewise
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From this reading Heaven, likewise, had frowned upon her, and she had not died.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
lonely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
looknounUS /look/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
once
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
pressed
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
released
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From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
rested
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
sad
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
scarlet
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
set
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From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
seven
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From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
sternly
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From this reading Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
strove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
suddennounUS /sudden/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
tenderness
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
threw
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From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
turned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
vain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading With sudden and desperate tenderness she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom, little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter.
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
world
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so.
years
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the world had frowned on her—for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman—and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes.