used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
at or in the front
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
any person at all
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
broodedverbUS /ˈbruːdɪd/
past form of “brood” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
disputeverbUS /dɪsˈpjuːt/
take exception to
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
a young female
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
glintverbUS /ɡlɪnt/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
gloweredverbUS /ˈɡlaʊərd/
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
harmlessadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrmləs/
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
indignitynounUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnətiː/
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
scentedadjectiveUS /ˈsentɪd/
having the sense of smell
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
SultannounUS /ˈsʌl.tən/
A noble monarch or supreme sovereign ruler of an Islamic country or empire.
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
terracesnounUS /ˈterəsəz/
plural of “terrace” — usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
UntilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Until this English girl had come into his life.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Never in his life had such an indignity been put upon him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Never had anyone dared dispute his right to do what he pleased.
in or at the place that
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On one of the terraces of his palace the Sultan sat and brooded, his face hard and savage, as he glowered at the scene ahead of him; a harmless scene where night shadows settled on a scented garden with the glint of a lake beyond.
