used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
anew
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
(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 The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
burlyadjectiveUS /ˈbɜːrli/
muscular and heavily built
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
clothing in general
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
traveling across
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
the act of departing
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
hearthnounUS /hɑːrθ/
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading He hoped not.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
IsaacnounUS /ˈaɪzək/
(Old Testament) the second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah who was offered by Abraham as a sacrifice to God; father of Jacob and Esau
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
leisurelyadverbUS /ˈliːzərli/
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
a particular point in time
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He hoped not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
recantverbUS /riˈkænt/
formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
uttered with a trill
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
seatsnounUS /siːts/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
term of address for a man
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
slovenlyadjectiveUS /ˈslʌvənli/
negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
in or at that place or location
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
ungainlyadjectiveUS /ənˈɡeɪnli/
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading But he had not time to give more than a thought to that before he heard footsteps and voices crossing the hall.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The next moment there entered the outer room—at such a distance from the hearth of the room in which he stood, that he had a leisurely view of all before they reached him—three persons.
a Caucasian
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The first was a tall burly man in slovenly evening clothes, and with an ungainly rolling walk; after him came Sir Robert himself, and after him again, Isaac White.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Could Sir Robert on his side be going to offer him one of the seats—if he would recant?
