used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
(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 "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
basinnounUS /ˈbeɪsən/
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
cheerfullyadverbUS /ˈtʃɪrfəli/
in a cheerful manner
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
complaintnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnt/
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
declar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
driedadjectiveUS /draɪd/
not still wet
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
at any time
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
provide as food
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
gittin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
the act of departing
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
j'ints
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
PanounUS /pɑː/
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
painsnounUS /peɪnz/
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "I declar' I must be gittin' on," he remarked cheerfully.
rollernounUS /ˈroʊlər/
a grounder that rolls along the infield
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
shootin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
carry out
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I've got shootin' pains through all my j'ints."
tinnounUS /tɪn/
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
towelnounUS /ˈtaʊəl/
a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
washverbUS /wɑːʃ/
clean with some chemical process
From this reading Before going on to feed the horses, he stopped to wash his face in the tin basin on the back porch.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading This was nearer a complaint than any speech she had ever heard from him, and she looked at him anxiously while he dried his face on the roller towel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You ought to take things more easily, Pa.
