Chapter III · Chapter 3

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

from one side of something to the other

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

for the reason that

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron for casting

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

a river that rises in the Catskills in southeastern New York and flows southward along the border of Pennsylvania with New York and New Jersey to northern Delaware where it empties into Delaware Bay

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

United States inventor of a dry-plate process of developing photographic film and of flexible film (his firm introduced roll film) and of the box camera and of a process for color photography (1854-1932)

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

plural of “gown” — a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

a native or inhabitant of Japan

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

a female domestic

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

a course of conduct

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

precisely, exactly

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

make a dry crackling sound

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

Identical; not different.

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

protected from heat and light with shade or shadow

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

marked by absence of sound

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

make square

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

plural of “stilt” — a column of wood or steel or concrete that is driven into the ground to provide support for a structure

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

express in words

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Tell Miss Pinsett that Lucy Eastman and--and Mary Greenleaf have come to see her," they said to the elderly respectable maid.

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

plural of “vas” — a tube in which a body fluid circulates

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading Mary Leonard and Lucy Eastman clasped each other's hands in silent delight as they walked up the box-bordered path.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Then they went into the dim shaded parlor and waited.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There were the old piano and the Japanese vases, and the picture of Washington which they had always laughed at because he looked as if he were on stilts and could step right across the Delaware, and they could hear their hearts beat, for there was a rustle outside the door--old Miss Pinsett's gowns always rustled--and it opened.

a Caucasian

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.

a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading The cab stopped in front of the same square white house, with the cupola, and the same great trees in the front yard.