Chapter XX · Only an Impulsive Child

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

the verbal act of requesting

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

for the reason that

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading Why should you care?”

plural of “catch” — a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

in a serious manner

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

at or to or toward the front

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

a young female

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

inflected form of “imply” — express or state indirectly

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

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 Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

the act of physically reaching or thrusting out

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

having a supporting base

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Mr. Moore looks at the girl standing before him long and earnestly; then, reaching forward, he catches her hands in one of his own, asking, slowly:

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

except if; if not

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “I should not be quite happy unless you were happy, too.”

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?

the words that are spoken

From this reading “Because I like you so much,” answered the girl, unconscious of what her words implied.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Why should it matter to you, little one, whether I was ill or well?