used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
Billy'snounUS /ˈbɪliz/
possessive form of “billy” — a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
CIRCUSnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəs/
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading THE CIRCUS The day was fine.
confinementnounUS /kənˈfaɪnmənt/
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE CIRCUS The day was fine.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
at any time
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading THE CIRCUS The day was fine.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
joyousadjectiveUS /ˈdʒɔɪəs/
full of or characterized by joy
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
immediately past
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
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 Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
and nothing more
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
the local environment
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
quickenedverbUS /ˈkwɪkənd/
past form of “quicken” — move faster
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
receivingverbUS /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CIRCUS The day was fine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
touchesnounUS /ˈtʌtʃəz/
plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CIRCUS The day was fine.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Could it be only a few short weeks since that gray Sunday?
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
wheelingnounUS /ˈwiːlɪŋ/
a city in the northern panhandle of West Virginia on the Ohio river
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
in or at the place that
From this reading He was out early wheeling from house to house, where various parts of the “show” were receiving last touches.
wideradjectiveUS /ˈwaɪdər/
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Billy’s confinement had quickened him, introduced him to himself; now he looked on life with wider eyes, with a more understanding heart.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Billy, not long released from his green shade, wondered if the world was ever so lovely before; the flowers so sweet, the birds so joyous.
