used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
behavingverbUS /bɪˈheɪvɪŋ/
-ing form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
cheesenounUS /tʃiːz/
a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
hostsnounUS /hoʊsts/
plural of “host” — a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
hystericaladjectiveUS /hɪˈsterɪkəl/
characterized by or arising from psychoneurotic hysteria
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
isn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
and nothing more
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
loafnounUS /loʊf/
a shaped mass of baked bread that is usually sliced before eating
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
ordinarinessnoun
the quality of being commonplace and ordinary
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
Penderel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
Philip'snounUS /ˈfɪləps/
possessive form of “philip” — Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
on the contrary
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
secretiveadjectiveUS /ˈsiːkrətɪv/
inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Margaret had released Philip’s arm and was now feeling rather foolish.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ‘It’s absurd,’ said Penderel, ‘that we should have to be so secretive about food.
whispersnounUS /ˈwɪspərz/
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Penderel left his chair, and the three of them, making a little group in front of the fire, talked in whispers.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why should we have to pretend it isn’t there until our hosts point it out to us?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She had just caught sight of a loaf of bread and a large piece of cheese, and the solid ordinariness of them had suggested to her that she was in danger of behaving like a tired hysterical woman.
