used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
AfricanounUS /ˈæfrəkɑː/
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
AFRICANadjectiveUS /ˈæfrəkən/
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
(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 Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
babiesnounUS /ˈbeɪbiz/
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
bathnounUS /bæθ/
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
brought into existence
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
a young person of either sex
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
darkenverbUS /ˈdɑːrkən/
become dark or darker
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
grandmothersnounUS /ˈɡrændmʌðərz/
plural of “grandmother” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
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 AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
meetsnounUS /miːts/
plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
mothersnounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum or plants, stored in large earthen jars.
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
a light shade of red
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
small or little relative to something else
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
in the near future
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE AFRICAN CHILD Inside such a house as has been described, and in many a smaller one, are born the children of Africa.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first and for a few days they are not black.
bound or secured closely
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
toddlingverbUS /ˈtɑːdlɪŋ/
-ing form of “toddle” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I am told they are pink in colour and quite light, but that they soon darken.
precisely as stated
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
accept gladly
From this reading The mothers and grandmothers are very pleased to welcome new babies and bath and oil them carefully.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Nearly all the women one meets about a village have children tied on their backs, or are followed by them toddling behind.
