used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
Abigail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
activitiesnounUS /ækˈtɪvətiz/
plural of “activity” — any specific behavior
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
(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 "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
amusingadjectiveUS /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/
providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
DouglasnounUS /ˈdʌɡləs/
United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the farm.
fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtəd/
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
IllinoisnounUS /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
ironicaladjectiveUS /aɪˈrɑːnɪkəl/
characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
information about recent and important events
From this reading When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the farm.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
querynounUS /ˈkwiːri/
an instance of questioning
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
referencenounUS /ˈrefərəns/
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the farm.
resignedverbUS /rɪˈzaɪnd/
past form of “resign” — leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
only a very short time before
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
shiftverbUS /ʃɪft/
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
SupremeadjectiveUS /səˈpriːm/
final or last in your life or progress
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
express in words
From this reading When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the farm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
at the time that
From this reading Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "I think he is as well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at all."
in the company of; together with
From this reading When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the farm.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Abigail wrote me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his activities.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you think now?" was her query.
