used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
bread-basket
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
briernounUS /ˈbraɪər/
tangled mass of prickly plants
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
brittleadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪtəl/
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
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 We have supper early to-night, too.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
grinnedverbUS /ɡrɪnd/
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
grumbledverbUS /ˈɡrʌmbəld/
past form of “grumble” — show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have supper early to-night, too.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
it'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
leaflessadjectiveUS /ˈliːfləs/
having no leaves
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
let's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
McBride
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
not any; not one
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
on one occasion
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
petulantlyadverb
in a petulant manner
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
Rit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
Ritter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
stalkverbUS /stɔːk/
walk stiffly
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading We have supper early to-night, too.”
swishing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Oh, let’s go back,” grumbled Harry Ritter, petulantly swishing at the brittle stalk of a leafless brier.
There's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We have supper early to-night, too.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading We have supper early to-night, too.”
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “Thinking of his bread-basket as usual,” grinned McBride.
walnutnounUS /ˈwɔːlnʌt/
nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell
From this reading “There’s no black walnut trees around here, and it’ll be dark in half an hour.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have supper early to-night, too.”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It would do you good, Rit, to go without supper for once.
