Chapter X

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

plural of “attic” — floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

a gabled extension built out from a sloping roof to accommodate a vertical window

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

to the greatest distance in space or time (“farthest” is used more often than “furthest” in this physical sense)

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

set up or found

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

the one or ones belonging to her

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

and nothing more

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

a full supply

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

the upper part of anything

From this reading At the top she came out into a long hall.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading It was almost dark up here, the only light coming through two low little dormer windows at the farthest end.

a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)

From this reading Ariel found the attic stairs in the wing opposite hers at the other end of the house.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Ariel had never in real life been in an attic, but she had been in plenty of them in books, and this long, dim hall with narrow doors in its walls somehow did not seem like her imagined attics.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Behind which of the several doors would she find Grandam’s living room?