used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading AN ACCEPTED OFFER.
(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 His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ACCEPTED OFFER.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
ardentadjectiveUS /ˈɑːrdənt/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
clickverbUS /klɪk/
move or strike with a noise
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
coalsnounUS /koʊlz/
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Very well done, indeed.
droopedverbUS /druːpt/
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
elaborateadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæbrət/
marked by complexity and richness of detail
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
gleamedverbUS /ɡliːmd/
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
cause to move by striking
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Very well done, indeed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
lividadjectiveUS /ˈlɪvɪd/
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
marquisnounUS /ˌmɑːrˈkiː/
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
a particular point in time
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading AN ACCEPTED OFFER.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
retortnounUS /ˈriːtɔːrt/
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
precisely as stated
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Fairly hit,” he said, and his voice was very low and sharp.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The effect of this retort upon the marquis was fearful!
(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 “Very well done, indeed.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His face, pale at all times, went livid, his eyes gleamed like ardent coals, his teeth came together with a click, and he drooped as if he had been struck; then in a moment or two he recovered himself and made an elaborate bow.
