used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
(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 Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
BrandnounUS /brænd/
a name given to a product or service
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
BrowningnounUS /ˈbraʊnɪŋ/
United States inventor of firearms (especially automatic pistols and repeating rifles and a machine gun called the Peacemaker) (1855-1926)
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
CarlylenounUS /ˈkɑːrlaɪl/
Scottish historian who wrote about the French Revolution (1795-1881)
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
the act of discovering something
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
fifthnounUS /fɪfθ/
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/
being ten more than thirty
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
gauntadjectiveUS /ɡɔːnt/
very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
a room where books are kept
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
lodging-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
not one, and not any
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
protégés
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
rewardsnounUS /rɪˈwɔːrdz/
plural of “reward” — a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
RuskinnounUS /ˈrʌskɪn/
British art critic (1819-1900)
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
strayverbUS /streɪ/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
strong-featured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
Tailoress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Of all our protégés among the “People,” none interested us more than the Tailoress.
volumesnounUS /ˈvɑːljuːmz/
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading From the city library she had obtained stray volumes of Browning and Ruskin and Carlyle.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
which person or people
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The Tailoress was a tall, gaunt, strong-featured woman of forty, who lived alone on the fifth floor of a Brand Street lodging-house.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The discovery of interesting characters among the poor was one of the rewards that we hoped for from our work.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She worked ten hours a day; at night she read.
