used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A BALL IN BARRACKS.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading A BALL IN BARRACKS.
BARRACKSnounUS /ˈbærəks/
plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel
From this reading A BALL IN BARRACKS.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
chieflyadverbUS /ˈtʃiːfli/
for the most part
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
cleverlyadverbUS /ˈklevərli/
in a clever manner
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
coverts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
Diggle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
Ernest's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
Farrington
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A BALL IN BARRACKS.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
MajoradjectiveUS /ˈmeɪdʒər/
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
manœuvred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
the force of workers available
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
not one, and not any
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
preservedadjectiveUS /prəˈzɜːrvd/
prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
reliedverbUS /rɪˈlaɪd/
inflected form of “rely” — have faith or confidence in
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
RupertnounUS /ˈruːpərt/
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
have in common
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
stockedadjectiveUS /stɑːkt/
furnished with more than enough
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
strictlyadverbUS /ˈstrɪktli/
restricted to something
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
swellingnounUS /ˈswelɪŋ/
an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
precisely as stated
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first of September was a great day always at Farrington Hall.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sir Rupert preserved very strictly; he was fond of shooting, and his coverts were always well stocked.
which person or people
From this reading They had a large party in the house; men chiefly, good guns who could be relied upon to do their share in swelling the Farrington ‘bag.’
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading This year several of Ernest’s brother officers were to have been invited, but Major Diggle manœuvred so cleverly that none of them were asked but himself.
