used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
affordingverbUS /əˈfɔːrdɪŋ/
-ing form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
anniversariesnounUS /ˌænəˈvɜːrsəriz/
plural of “anniversary” — the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
blindingadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
comelyadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmli/
according with custom or propriety
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
an old word for “before”
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
evening'snounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋz/
possessive form of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
a long fixed look
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
ice-boat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
journeyedverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrnid/
past form of “journey” — undertake a journey or trip
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
linedadjectiveUS /laɪnd/
bordered by a line of things
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
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 The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
painfullest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
perchanceadverbUS /pərˈtʃæns/
through chance
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
planksnounUS /plæŋks/
plural of “plank” — a stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
pondnounUS /pɑːnd/
a small lake
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
regretsnounUS /rɪˈɡrets/
a polite refusal of an invitation
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
precisely, exactly
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
sadnesses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
shantynounUS /ˈʃænti/
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading SILVER SLEIGH-BELLS.
SLEIGH-BELLS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SILVER SLEIGH-BELLS.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading About Christmas all was right and tight.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
unalterableadjectiveUS /əˈnɔːltərəbəl/
not capable of being changed or altered
From this reading One is forced round face to face with the past and the unalterable, to gaze on it, perchance, through blinding tears.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
which person or people
From this reading Now, to those who have any regrets or sadnesses in the background of memory, the painfullest of all times are these anniversaries.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The shanty was ere long lined in a comely manner with the planks which had journeyed up the pond in the ice-boat, affording many an evening's work for Arthur.
