used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He would not be likely to ask another one.
AREauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He would not be likely to ask another one.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
broadclothnoun
a densely textured woolen fabric with a lustrous finish
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
elevatornounUS /ˈeləveɪtər/
lifting device consisting of a platform or cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft in order to move people from one floor to another in a building
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
Grandon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
and nothing more
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading He would not be likely to ask another one.
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 LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
LUELLA
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
Luella's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
a particular point in time
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
MYSTIFIEDadjectiveUS /ˈmɪstəfaɪd/
totally perplexed and mixed up
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He would not be likely to ask another one.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
placingverbUS /ˈpleɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
silkenadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlkən/
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
slidenounUS /slaɪd/
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
with low volume
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
swishverbUS /swɪʃ/
move with or cause to move with a whistling or hissing sound
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They heard the elevator door slide softly open, and then the gentle swish of silken skirts.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading LUELLA AND HER MOTHER ARE MYSTIFIED THEY had not long to wait.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were four in the party, and Luella’s heart sank.
a Caucasian
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would not be likely to ask another one.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Luella looked around just in time to be recognized by young Mr. Grandon if he had not at that moment been placing a long white broadcloth coat about his mother’s shoulders.
