used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Sylvia’s sympathy was a light to her.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They frequently talked about Launa.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
brilliancynoun
a quality that outshines the usual
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
endlessadjectiveUS /ˈendləs/
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
many times at short intervals
From this reading They frequently talked about Launa.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
HERBERTnounUS /ˈhɜːrbərt/
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
hopelessnessnounUS /ˈhoʊpləsnəs/
the despair you feel when you have abandoned hope of comfort or success
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
imaginaryadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmædʒəneri/
not based on fact; existing only in the imagination
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
Launa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They frequently talked about Launa.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Sylvia’s sympathy was a light to her.
LILYnounUS /ˈlɪli/
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
not any; not one
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
many times at short intervals
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
a course of conduct
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
rebelliousadjectiveUS /rɪˈbeljəs/
resisting control or authority
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
spectres
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
Sylvia's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia’s sympathy was a light to her.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading Sylvia’s sympathy was a light to her.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They frequently talked about Launa.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LILY HERBERT had accepted her fate—one must, no matter how rebellious the heart may be.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They frequently talked about Launa.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sylvia’s sympathy was a light to her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The path of life behind her shone with the brilliancy of past happiness, which is often imaginary; before her the path was dark, with the gloom of hopelessness and despair.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading The days were long and black and endless; the nights were worse, and full of spectres.
