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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 MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
All
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
alonenounUS /alone/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
askednounUS /asked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
bells
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
box
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From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
cigarettes
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From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
clicking
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
constant
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From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
corner
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
desk
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
dictation
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
disturb
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
down
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
full
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
grimly
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
hanging
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
hive
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
ignored
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From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
industry
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
leftnounUS /left/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
lights
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
MAN
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
midnight
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
monotonous
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
more
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From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
NEARLY
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
noises
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
only
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
paper
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From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
pen
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From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
reporters
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
room
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
sat
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From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
scratching
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From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
set
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
smiled
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From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
sound
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From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
telephone
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
Then
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From this reading Then they left him alone, and no sound in the great room was more constant than the scratching of his pen across the paper.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
tinkling
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
typewriters
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From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
UNDERprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All around him was the clicking of typewriters, the monotonous dictation of reporters, the tinkling of telephone bells.
WENTnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They brought him pen and paper and a box of cigarettes--which he ignored.
WHOpronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When they had set him down here, they had asked him whether the noises would disturb him, but he had only smiled grimly.
writing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MAN WHO NEARLY WENT UNDER At midnight a man sat writing at a desk in a corner of a great room full of hanging lights, a hive of industry.
