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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 A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
all
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
Angela
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
anger
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
angry
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
costly
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could he say?
course
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
daughter
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
eyes
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
finger
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
given
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What could he say?
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He took refuge in sulky silence.
little
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From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
look
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
neighbour
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
never
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
pearlnounUS /pɜːrl/
a smooth round object formed inside a shell and valued as a jewel
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
perhaps
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
present
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
quite
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
Ralph
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From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
redder
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
refuge
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From this reading He took refuge in sulky silence.
right-hand
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
ring
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From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
said
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From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
say
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From this reading What could he say?
see
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He took refuge in sulky silence.
staring
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
Stephen
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
still
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From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
sulky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He took refuge in sulky silence.
tearful
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
tell
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
third
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
took
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From this reading He took refuge in sulky silence.
unusually
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
usual
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
very
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From this reading Ralph said very little about the ring.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
weak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could he say?
whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
wife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A present given to his wife by the daughter of a neighbour—an unusually costly present of course—still, after all, what could he say?
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
wore
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From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But Stephen would see him staring at the pearl, which Angela wore on her right-hand third finger, and his weak little eyes would look redder than usual, perhaps with anger—one could never quite tell from his eyes whether he was tearful or angry.