used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
(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 But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
cabinsnounUS /ˈkæbənz/
plural of “cabin” — small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
dancersnounUS /ˈdænsərz/
plural of “dancer” — a performer who dances professionally
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
darkenedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkənd/
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
fiddlenounUS /ˈfɪdəl/
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 As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
Gros-Léon's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
intervalsnounUS /ˈɪntərvəlz/
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
used to form the superlative
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
openingsnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋz/
plural of “opening” — an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
peeredverbUS /pɪrd/
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
pretentiousadjectiveUS /priˈtenʃəs/
making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
recognizeverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
cut with a saw
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading But he knew this was Gros-Léon's ball, which he had heard the boys talking about all the week.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were cabins at intervals upon the road--most of them darkened, for the hour was late.
at the time that
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As he approached one of these, which was more pretentious than the others, he heard the sound of a fiddle, and saw lights through the openings of the house.
which person or people
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading It was so far from the road that when he stopped his horse and peered through the darkness he could not recognize the dancers who passed before the open doors and windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Why should he not go and stand in the doorway an instant and exchange a word with the dancers?
