used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
activitiesnounUS /ækˈtɪvətiz/
plural of “activity” — any specific behavior
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
BaseballnounUS /ˈbeɪsˈbɔːl/
a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
the act of burning something
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
correspondencenounUS /ˌkɔːrəˈspɑːndəns/
communication by the exchange of letters
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
CummingsnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋz/
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The hour was just short of nine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
and nothing more
From this reading The hour was just short of nine.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading The hour was just short of nine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
and nothing more
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
PollocknounUS /ˈpɑːlək/
United States artist famous for painting with a drip technique; a leader of abstract expressionism in America (1912-1956)
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
sealedadjectiveUS /siːld/
established irrevocably
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The hour was just short of nine.
SIGNALSnounUS /ˈsɪɡnəlz/
plural of “signal” — any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Only the light over his desk was burning and the rest of the store was dim and empty.
tinnounUS /tɪn/
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading As he sealed and addressed his final letter he glanced at the little tin clock before him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
male cat
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
hard to endure
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Baseball activities had put him behind with his correspondence and he was trying to catch up with it.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
Wright'snounUS /raɪts/
possessive form of “wright” — United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)
From this reading SAM SIGNALS FOR A FAST ONE Tom Pollock was working late that evening at Cummings and Wright’s.
