used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
benightedadjectiveUS /bɪˈnaɪtɪd/
overtaken by night or darkness
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
CavendishnounUS /ˈkævəndɪʃ/
British chemist and physicist who established that water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen and who calculated the density of the earth (1731-1810)
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
countrymannounUS /ˈkʌntrimən/
a man from your own country
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
gapingadjectiveUS /ˈɡeɪpɪŋ/
with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
GILES'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
the act of departing
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
Michael'snounUS /ˈmaɪkəlz/
possessive form of “michael” — (Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
open-mouthed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
OxfordnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/
a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
ST
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ST.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
in or at that place or location
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She stopped to question a gaping countryman, who looked at her open-mouthed.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
townspeoplenounUS /ˈtaʊnzpiːpəl/
the people living in a municipality smaller than a city
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading What benighted being was this who could be upon the spot and not know about St. Giles’s Fair?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading GILES’S FAIR There was a great gathering of townspeople and country people in the old town of Oxford.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
which person or people
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What can be going on?” exclaimed Miss Cavendish, who, with her girls, was turning the corner by old St. Michael’s Church.
