used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
anew
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
blossomsnounUS /ˈblɑːsəmz/
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
brushverbUS /brʌʃ/
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
bunchingverbUS /ˈbʌntʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “bunch” — form into a bunch
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
an occurrence of something
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
cornfieldnounUS /ˈkɔːrnfiːld/
a field planted with corn
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
CurtisnounUS /ˈkɜːrtəs/
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
dampenedverbUS /ˈdæmpənd/
past form of “dampen” — suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
dewnounUS /duː/
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
remove the dust from
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
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 It was still early.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
brought together in one place
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
gloriesnounUS /ˈɡlɔːriz/
plural of “glory” — a state of high honor
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was still early.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
a particular situation
From this reading The heavy dew had dampened the dust on her shoes.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
spraynounUS /spreɪ/
a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
stalksnounUS /stɔːks/
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
not in physical motion
From this reading It was still early.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
SWINGINGnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
tassels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
in or at that place or location
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
tipsnounUS /tɪps/
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
trailingnounUS /ˈtreɪlɪŋ/
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
violinnounUS /vaɪəˈlɪn/
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was still early.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By the time she got in sight of the Curtis house there were many of these branches trailing over her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She tried to brush it off with the leaves she had gathered, then bunching the blossoms of bright color together she fastened them on her breast.
wreathed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SWINGING her violin case by the handle, Esther started off through the cornfield, stopping now and again to pull a spray of morning glories that wreathed around the stalks to the tips of their tassels.
