used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
anew
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
ALARMSnounUS /əˈlɑːrmz/
plural of “alarm” — fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading ALARMS.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
amiableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪmiəbəl/
disposed to please
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
rid of obstructions
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
well in the past; former
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
fictionnounUS /ˈfɪkʃən/
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
conformity or harmony
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
mutteringsnounUS /ˈmʌtərɪŋz/
plural of “muttering” — a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
precedeverbUS /prɪˈsiːd/
be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
on the contrary
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
express in words
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
not in physical motion
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
stormsnounUS /stɔːrmz/
plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
sulphurousadjective
of or related to or containing sulfur or derived from sulfur
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But as a matter of fact there could be little doubt that the atmosphere was clear after he was gone.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
volcanicadjectiveUS /vɑːlˈkænɪk/
relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
at the time that
From this reading It was rather a relief to them all when the father went away again.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A certain sulphurous sense of something volcanic in the air, the alarm of a possible explosion, or at least of the heat and mutterings that precede storms, departed with him.
the words that are spoken
From this reading They did not say so indeed in so many words, still keeping up the amiable domestic fiction that the house was not at all like itself when papa was away.
