used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
AdanounUS /ˈeɪdə/
an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
Ada'snounUS /ˈeɪdəz/
possessive form of “ada” — an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
(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 “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
AssassinationnounUS /əˌsæsəˈneɪʃən/
an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
awakenedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪkənd/
aroused or activated
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
clenchedadjectiveUS /klentʃt/
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
clocksnounUS /klɑːks/
European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
echoverbUS /ˈekoʊ/
to say again or imitate
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
echoesnounUS /ˈekoʊz/
plural of “echo” — the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
haplessadjectiveUS /ˈhæpləs/
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Yes; I—I—hope she sleeps sound.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Yes; I—I—hope she sleeps sound.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
JacobnounUS /ˈdʒeɪkəb/
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
immediately past
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I—would not have a struggle—a struggle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
placingverbUS /ˈpleɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
prolongedadjectiveUS /prəˈlɔːŋd/
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
sillsnounUS /sɪlz/
United States operatic soprano (born in 1929)
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
sleepsnounUS /sliːps/
plural of “sleep” — a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
slowestadverbUS /ˈsloʊəst/
most slowly
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading I—would not have a struggle—a struggle.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
SurmisesnounUS /sərˈmaɪzɪz/
plural of “surmise” — a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
carry out
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Attempted Assassination.—A Surprise.—Ada’s Surmises.—The Agony of Gray.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “She—she surely sleeps sound,” he muttered through his clenched teeth, “or all these clocks with their solemn and prolonged echoes must have awakened her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
at the time that
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The last faint echo from the slowest clock had died away upon the midnight air, when Jacob Gray started from his position of deep attention, and placing his small lamp on one of the window sills, he drew from his breast the knife with which he intended to take the life of the hapless Ada.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I—would not have a struggle—a struggle.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes; I—I—hope she sleeps sound.
