used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
Alonzo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
ardentadjectiveUS /ˈɑːrdənt/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
attentivelyadverbUS /əˈtentɪvli/
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
depictedadjectiveUS /dɪˈpɪktəd/
represented graphically by sketch or design or lines
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
fadedadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪdəd/
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
yet to be or coming
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
gildedadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪldɪd/
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
gloriesnounUS /ˈɡlɔːriz/
plural of “glory” — a state of high honor
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
Melissa'snounUS /məˈlɪsəz/
possessive form of “melissa” — a genus of Old World mints of the family Labiatae
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
a particular point in time
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
momentarilyadverbUS /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/
for an instant or moment
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
mournfuladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrnfəl/
expressing sorrow
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
prosperitynounUS /prɑːˈsperəti/
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
rainbownounUS /ˈreɪnboʊ/
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
shockingadjectiveUS /ˈʃɑːkɪŋ/
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
summonsnounUS /ˈsʌmənz/
a request to be present
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
for that reason; as a result
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
having passed out of existence
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
at the time that
From this reading What then must have been his disappointment when the name of Alonzo was pronounced instead of his own!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The highly finished scene of pleasure and future prosperity which his ardent imagination had depicted, had vanished in a moment.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He had listened therefore attentively to the words of Melissa's father, momentarily expecting to hear himself declared the favourite choice of the fair.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The summons of death would not have been more unexpected, or more shocking to his imagination.
youthfuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːθfəl/
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading The rainbow glories which gilded his youthful horizon, had faded in an instant--the bright sun of his early hopes had set in mournful darkness.
