used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
airshipsnounUS /ˈerʃɪps/
plural of “airship” — a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
(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 It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
divisible by two
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
of great significance or value
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
inventionnounUS /ˌɪnˈvenʃən/
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
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 It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
not any; not one
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
an educational institution
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
steamboatsnounUS /ˈstiːmboʊts/
plural of “steamboat” — a boat propelled by a steam engine
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
steamcars
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
submarinesnounUS /ˈsʌbməriːnz/
plural of “submarine” — a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
express in words
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
in or at that place or location
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
a special situation
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
the act of using
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I do not believe that even after I tell you several things about it you can guess what it is.
at the time that
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It is a more wonderful thing, a great many people think, than the invention of steamboats and steamcars, or of airships and submarines.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It is one of the oldest things in the world, so old that no one knows when it was first used.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It is so important that you could not have any books without it, and if there were no books, you would not go to school, and then how could you learn all the things you want to know?
but in spite of that
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I want to tell you a story about something you use every day, something you could not get along without, and yet that you never think about or are glad to have.
